


Silver Lining

by DxC95



Series: Hurts [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, Bullying, Every so often but it'll be mentioned they don't talk much, F/F, Female original character - Freeform, Frisk has no set gender, Frisk talks like Ferb from Phineas and Ferb, Gen, Head Injury, M/M, Monsters, More tags to be added as the story goes or as needed, Neck injury, OC, Original Character - Freeform, Racism against monsters, Secrets, Siblings, Violence, anti-monster protest, female oc - Freeform, gun - Freeform, hints of homophobia, knife, lying, skelebros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 27,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26546221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DxC95/pseuds/DxC95
Summary: It had been four weeks since Frisk disappeared. And it seemed the only person to care about their disappearance was their older sister, Ginny. In the position she was in, she could only look around Ebott and hope their sibling would come home. One day, she comes across a loud skeleton monster, who asks if she was Frisk's sister. Not only did she finally find her missing sibling, but she met a whole gaggle of monsters.  Though Frisk loved and trusted them all, Ginny wasn't sure what to make of them.
Relationships: Ginny & Frisk, Royal Guard 01/Royal Guard 02 (Undertale), Sans & Papyrus, Undyne/Alphys
Series: Hurts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930387
Comments: 8
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

When one thought of a restaurant, and what job positions there were, the most obvious ones would come to mind: cooks, waiters and waitresses, hosts and hostesses, etc. Maybe even musicians and singers, if the place was fancy enough.

But there were also less-than-glamorous positions, often behind the scenes. One such consisted the role of taking out garbage bags to the dumpster behind the building. It was messy, as the plastic bags could easily be torn by a misplaced chicken bone or hardened piece of pasta. And it was quite physical, with the trash bags being big, even before being stuffed with trash. Not to mention there being several bags. And it, surprisingly, also required a hint of cleverness, between getting the bags to the dumpster without them ripping from being dragged on concrete, and getting them into the dumpster itself.

This job belonged to Ginny.

It was getting close to evening, and the end of her shift, when she finally dragged the last bag out of the back of the restaurant and to the dumpster. She had worked this job long enough to have a routine that worked nine times out of ten: pull the bag over your shoulder like Santa Claus, but let most of its weight drag behind you so as not to throw your back out; let it sit on the ground once you reach the dumpster, grab the handle close to the bulk of the garbage inside, and swing it into the dumpster as fast as you can. Don't forget to let go of it as soon as it was over the container, or you ran the risk of smashing your wrists onto the metal casing. This got both easier and more difficult the more bags were in there.

But she was finally done for the day. Dusting off her hands and arms, she ambled back inside. Her arms and upper back were aching, but it was worth it to be finally finished.

As she cracked and stretched her fingers, she glanced through the door that lead from the back of the restaurant to the main eating area. The hinges had been getting rusted due to the humidity in the kitchen, so the doors would sometimes slow down when closing, or even get stuck open. It wasn't too big an issue that it needed to be fixed. Or so her boss claimed.

Evenings were moderately busy most of the time. Their busiest times were usually weekends or just before holidays; occasionally, there would be a large party for a birthday or anniversary. But it was a casual evening at the moment, with a handful of human adults, and a few kids mixed in. No monsters though.

She froze, and her eyes widened. Through the stuck-open door, she saw a small child with long brown hair, a blue shirt, and dark skin. She held her breath as she inched closer to the doors, still examining the child from afar. But her heart dropped when she realized they weren't whom she was looking for.

"Hey!"

She nearly jumped out of her skin at the shout, and when the door was pushed shut harshly. Her boss stood in front of her, glaring at her as if she were dirty gum stuck to the bottom of their shoe. "How many times do I have to tell you? You're the garbage woman! You're supposed to take out the trash, not get seen by other customers! I mean, look at you! Do you _want_ to get seen?"

Ginny glanced down at herself with a sigh. Instead of a uniform, she wore a long-sleeved orange shirt that was so stretched, she had to tie the slack around her waist, blue and cyan-striped stockings that had one or two holes, and shorts that were once pure white. Her nicest article of clothing were her black combat boots, though those had seen better days too. The laces were tied in places where they had fallen apart, and the ends were broken or frayed.

"No," she mumbled in response, having heard this lecture so many times, she could recite it by heart.

"Exactly! What would they think, seeing an employee as disgusting as you look? Whom would they complain to?"

She tuned them out as punched out, pulled on her coat—a dark-purple overcoat that was missing a couple of buttons—and made her way to the exit. While her boss continued to rant, seeming to not realize she was leaving, one of her coworkers met her by the exit. He didn't say anything directly to her, but he did discretely pass her a plastic bag that felt full and warm. She didn't need to look inside to know what it was; this was a common thing, where he would save food that was sent back, and give it to her in secrecy as she left. He had gotten so good at 'reverse-pickpocketing', as he called it, they rarely got caught.

She nodded her thanks and stepped out of the back of the restaurant, making sure to avoid being seen until she was walking down the sidewalk. She paused a moment to stuff the bag in one of her inside pockets. It wasn't too bulky in her coat, and it was still warm. As she glanced around, she saw numerous people walking the streets, some with children.

Seeing the children brought tears to her eyes. Not because she thought of children as innocent beings that were too good and sweet for the world—some definitely were, and some definitely were not. It was because she was missing her little sibling, the one she had mistaken the child for at the restaurant.

"Frisk, where _are_ you?" she whimpered, rubbing at one of her eyes with the heel of her hand. It had been four weeks since they disappeared, and she was still no closer to finding them. And it just seemed no matter whom she spoke to, be it neutral citizen or police officer, they weren't as worried for them as she was.

After all, there were hundreds of missing children. Frisk was just one in a million, in a bad way.

No one had ever said that to her face, but she couldn't help but wonder if that was what they were thinking. If she had better resources, she would go out into woods, or to the mountains—no, the world, and find them herself. But at the moment, she was stuck in Ebott, with little to no clues as to which direction Frisk might have even gone.

"They couldn't have gone far. They're six years old, after all," most people would remark when she asked if they knew anything. But in four weeks, they could feasibly been anywhere. And that was if they were even walking around on their own in the first place. What if they had gotten kidnapped? Were they even on the same continent?

Just thinking about it made Ginny lose her appetite, despite the delicious smell coming from her bag. Sighing, she stuffed her hands in her coat pockets and continued on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been in the makings for a couple of years. I came up with the plot while listening to Silver Lining by Hurts, thinking of it like a music video. Ginny had been Frisk's older sister from the beginning; her name has meaning behind it, similar to Frisk's name sounding similar to "pacifist", and Chara's looking like a shortened form of "character". Everything Undertale belongs to Toby Fox; Ginny, as well as anything unfamiliar, is of my creation.


	2. Chapter 2

Ginny should have known it would rain soon. If the sky darkening quicker than usual wasn't already a sign, or the gray, heavy-looking clouds, she certainly found out once the drops began to fall. They weren't heavy, merely feeling as if water was dropping lightly from trees or rooftops. But that could change, whether fast or slow. And as she looked up at the sky, she realized that it looked like it would get heavier, period.

"I really need to look for an umbrella," she grumbled as she buttoned her coat and held it tight around her neck. She always said this when it would rain, but could never fulfill that quest. She would either forget until the next storm, or would have little to no luck. Who knew umbrellas could be so expensive?

She hurried her pace down the sidewalk, passing various humans and monsters that looked like they had the same idea.

Though she never faltered in trying to find Frisk, the emergence of the monsters was certainly a distraction. For as long as anyone could remember, including the oldest citizens of Ebott, monsters were simply myths, legends; subjects of children's bedtime stories. And villainous ones, most of the time, at that. Needless to say, once they made themselves known, everyone braced for a war or apocalypse. Or even a takeover of their town.

But the monsters were actually very nice. In fact, although curious, they were more afraid of humankind. Apparently, as their king and leader explained, humans had been responsible for banishing and sealing them deep under Mt. Ebott, hundreds of years ago; back when humans possessed magic abilities.

Of course, it was understandable that they were afraid of humans. It would be strange if a group of individuals weren't afraid of the people that had imprisoned them, whether recently or long ago. But they were willing to extend an olive branch, as long as the humans were willing to take them into their town. After all, their ambassador—who had remained anonymous, as they were apparently still young—had proved that not all humans were bad; that they were capable of being patient and understanding. Of showing mercy, in their words.

It wasn't easy. Initially, they weren't allowed into the city until the 'proper authorities' met with them personally; those being the mayor and police chief. Thankfully, the monsters were willing to cooperate, and invited the two of them to visit and evaluate them. And they had long talks with the king. Apparently they discussed everything, from politics and housing situations, to what flowers were the easiest, hardest, or most fun to grow, and how exiting it was to finally see the sun.

The mayor had spoken highly of the monsters and their king. They described him as a noble and kind leader, very friendly and sweet. They had also met with the ex-queen; though she was no longer technically of real authority, she was still someone the monsters looked up to and trusted. She was said to be a very motherly sort of lady, wishing the very best for her people, and their ambassador whom she had taken under her wing; or in her paws, as it were. She was the one who requested they remained anonymous the most.

As for the rest of the new citizens, it was definitely no exaggeration that monsters came in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

It was amazing that it took little time to build and fix up new and old houses for the monsters. It definitely helped that they had worked alongside the construction workers, often times able to do more and faster work. But at the same time, it irritated some people. Why should construction on buildings, roads, and bridges take so long to do on a normal day, but when these 'creatures' needed accommodations, it was like a genie snapped their fingers and made it so? And so quickly?

Needless to say, a lot of people weren't pleased with the inclusion of the monsters. Some businesses limited their facilities to humans only, or would keep close eyes on any monster customers. Various groups banded together, whether it was simply to avoid the monsters, or to lead protests. They spoke against everything monster-related, saying they should go back to the mountain they came from, or at least go somewhere else. Couldn't they see they weren't wanted here? How unnatural and awkward they made their town look? They were changing things, and the humans didn't like it.

Well... those particular humans, anyway.

None of it really affected Ginny. Protests weren't new, and there were stranger ones for stranger things. And she already didn't interact with a lot of humans if she could help it, it was no different with monsters. If asked what she felt about them, she either had no comment, or she didn't care. As long as they didn't hurt or bother her, she wouldn't either. Some did say hello, but she simply returned the greeting and went on her way. She wasn't rude about it, just neutral at best.

There were plenty of people who were making friends with monsters, what did it matter that she wasn't?

But at the same time, she could understand feeling isolated and judged. She felt it everyday, whether it was at work or on the streets. She could feel eyes on her at the moment, as she hurried down the sidewalk through the rain, dressed in her shabby clothes. They were judging her, she could feel it. She could practically hear what they were thinking of her. Heck, sometimes they didn't keep silent. Sometimes they either thought she was deaf, or simply didn't care if she heard.

But she didn't let it hurt her. She had dealt with that sort of gossip for several years. It didn't matter.

By the time she neared her destination, the rain had indeed picked up. Luckily, it wasn't outright pouring. She loved to hear rain from inside buildings, listening to it as it pounded against the windows and walls. But it was sometimes painful to walk through if it was heavy or cold enough. Luckily, her coat kept her dry, and her long, thickly-tangled hair shielded her neck and shoulders; sometimes even her face, if she leaned forward enough.

She paused on the sidewalk to catch her breath, smiling at the bridge before her. It was a large and old one, made of concrete and metal. It was big enough for a single car to drive over it, but it had sidewalks connected to it rather than roads. It stood over a large canal that was also made of concrete. The strangest thing about it was that there was no water, but there was a drain in the middle underneath the bridge. It definitely looked like it could accommodate water running under it, but there was never enough to fill the canal. Not even in the heaviest rain. It looked more like the kind of bridge that ran over a road.

Ginny loved that bridge. It was big enough that it provided adequate shading for sunny or rainy days, and it was nice to just stand on it and look around the area. It wasn't in a park, but there were still some nice things and places to look at. Plus, it was big enough that if someone were to stand on it, they wouldn't be blocking anyone's path.

Wiping away the rain that had stuck to her face, she continued on her way. She slowed down as she stopped in the middle of the bridge until she came to a complete stop. It couldn't hurt to stand on it for a few minutes. Taking in a deep breath, she leaned her upper body back and sighed, stretching her arms out to the side. It wasn't too cold of a day, but it wasn't too warm either, which she didn't mind; she disliked warm rainy days.

She turned and walked to the railing that lined both sides of the bridge. It was a simple metal railing that reached up to her hips. Various vines had tangled themselves around the bars over the years; some had even grown little flowers, making the bridge smell sweet in the spring and summer. Come fall, the vines would dry up, looking like skeletal hands clinging to the bars, until eventually breaking and falling away before the snows of winter fell. Then in the early spring, the vines would come again.

She planted her hands on the railings, letting her fingers instinctively wrap around the bars as she leaned on her palms. It had been a pretty casual day. Almost boring, in fact. She didn't really complain though. Casual meant usual, no surprises to catch her off-guard.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something moving. Despite having no magic, she could sense it below her, standing on the concrete below the bridge. She looked down almost absentmindedly, not frightened in the moment. Perhaps it was a random stray dog, having sniffed out the food still in her coat.

But there was no dog down below. Instead, her eyes met the eyes of a tall, broad-shouldered skeleton, dressed in red and white.


	3. Chapter 3

Ginny screamed and jumped away from the railing, swinging her arms back. Unbeknownst to her, she was quickly reaching the other side of the bridge. Before she could catch herself, she tripped backwards over the railing. She tried to scream again as she felt herself falling, but it couldn't come out.

Not that it would do her any good.

She grunted as she felt long, bony arms catch her. They knocked painfully into her upper back and the backs of her knees, even through her overcoat and clothes. She looked up as she caught her breath, and saw that the skeleton that had scared her was the one who caught her. He must have been fast to move from essentially one side of the bridge to the other in that short amount of time.

His skull looked like a cartoonist's attempt at drawing a skeleton. His square jaw was long and blunt, as were his teeth. His eye sockets were tall and dark, yet still somehow friendly. What little she could see of his outfit was a round and white chest with some sort of symbol, and he wore a red cape that was somehow blowing behind him, despite the rain, and there being no wind.

At least, she thought they were a he.

"ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?" he asked. She flinched at the high volume of his voice, especially with him shouting near her ear. His voice was high-pitched, yet had a bit of grit to it. It reminded her of a supervillain in an old, cheesy cartoon.

She squirmed and writhed until she finally rolled out of his arms. She fell onto her hands and knees, groaning in pain through clenched teeth. She quickly stood up and tried to run. When she looked back on that memory, she wasn't sure if she was afraid of him, or if she had gotten so used to not hanging around people that she had become awkward and antisocial. But regardless, she tried to escape.

But apparently, he didn't want her to leave. He managed to grab her hand, tight enough to stop her, but not so tight that it hurt. Instead of skeletal fingers, she felt a large mitten wrapped around her wrist. When she looked back, they were the same red as his scarf. As were his big boots. His arms, legs, and waist—backbone?—were wrapped in what looked like black pantyhose, and he had very short blue shorts with a golden belt.

"I-I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, trying to pull her hand from his grip. Even though he wasn't hurting her, he was still strong. "I'm sorry for s-screaming! P-please let me go!"

He either didn't hear her, or he didn't listen. Instead, his eyes widened until they were round, and they somehow sparkled. "WAIT! WOULD YOU HAPPEN TO BE THE SISTER OF FRISK?" The corners of his mouth had risen into a smile, as if his face was flesh instead of bone.

This made her freeze. Her own eyes widened as she stared at the skeleton, who was still holding her wrist. "H-how do you know Frisk?"

* * *

The skeleton had introduced himself as Papyrus; or as he called himself, "THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" As he led her towards the monster neighborhood, he explained just how he knew Frisk. Upon her request, he even described Frisk, just so she knew they were her sibling. And they were just as she remembered: olive skin, short chestnut hair, and narrow dark-brown eyes. They had even been wearing the same clothes as she last remembered them wearing: their blue jumpsuit with purple stripes, and brown slip-on shoes.

Once that had been cleared up, Papyrus was more than delighted to tell her the tale of how Frisk had fallen into the underground and met up with all sorts of monsters. He had confessed to being employed to capture humans, as they were apparently needed to break the barrier keeping them in the underground to begin with. "BUT THEY WERE JUST SO KIND! AND LOVED PUZZLES, JUST AS I DO! IT DIDN'T EVEN MATTER THAT I WAS UNABLE TO CAPTURE THEM IN THE END. THEY FREED US ALL!"

When Ginny asked how long ago Frisk had come to them, the dates matched up. It had been mere days, if not only one, after they had ran away. He even revealed that the ambassador, whom had spoken so highly of and for monsters, was Frisk themselves. It hurt that they had been kept anonymous, as she could have found them earlier.

"DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED, TALL HUMAN!" Papyrus said. "ASGORE'S CL—I MEAN, TORIEL, HAD REQUESTED THAT THEIR IDENTITY BE KEPT A SECRET! I BELIEVE IT WAS BECAUSE THEY WERE A SMALL CHILD."

That made sense, but it still didn't feel good.

Finally, they reached the monster neighborhood. Rather than like a human neighborhood, where the houses were largely similar, save for maybe colors and materials, each house was unique in its own way. Some were large, some were small. Some were isolated, some were so close together they were only a few steps apart. And some even looked like they had different environments, like watery swamps or barren deserts. How this was accomplished, Ginny could only guess via magic.

If she was being honest, the neighborhood was very charming. Everywhere she looked, there was something new or interesting to look at. Some of the monsters were out on their porches or lawns. They waved and shouted greetings to Papyrus, and to her, calling her 'new human'. They didn't make her feel strange or different. They treated her as if she was one of them; a potentially-new friend.

The house they were headed to was close to normal-looking. It definitely looked like an average human house, but looked to be made of purple stones. The two stairs leading to the porch, one on each side, were made of gray stone. Between the stairs was a pile of red and orange leaves. Green vines grew on either side of the door, and there was a stone tablet between them and above the door. On the tablet was some sort of symbol. It looked like a crest, with three triangles, a circle, and a pair of angel wings within the lineart.

"WELL, HERE WE ARE! THE HOME OF TORIEL!" Papyrus said, still quite loud.

"And Frisk is here?" She stared at the door, wringing her hands. She pressed her lips together, and began to feel herself shake. Finally, after so long, she would be reunited with the last of her family.

"PRECISELY!" Upon seeing Ginny's nervous posture and expression, he gently laid a hand on her back and smiled. Though it was a kind smile, it still unnerved her to see how malleable his bones were. Then again, he was a monster. From what little she had seen and had much heard, they didn't necessarily obey physics.

"THERE IS NO NEED TO BE FRIGHTENED," he said as they slowly walked up the porch. He seemed to be making an effort to lower his voice, whether it was so he didn't disturb the occupants inside the house, or to try and not make her more nervous. He gestured to the door with his free hand. "TORIEL IS ONE OF THE MOST KIND AND GENTLE MONSTERS I KNOW! SHE WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO MEET YOU!"

She took a deep breath, and then let it out. If what he said was true, and Frisk was indeed here, she didn't want to waste any more time. But if they weren't here, and it was some sort of trap, she was ready to bolt.

She walked to the door, glancing at the windows. The drawn curtains were peach-colored, and were solid enough that she couldn't see if there were shadows of people inside, much less if the lights were on or off. She tapped her fingertips together several times before gathering her nerve up enough to finally knock on the door.

She backed away a step, flinching when she bumped into Papyrus, as the door opened. They were a tall monster, taller than Papyrus, resembling a goat in the face, and a lion in the paws and feet. Their thick fur was white with a hint of cream, their ears flopped in front of two small horns, and their reddish-brown eyes were kind, reminding her of a gentle parent. They wore a purple dress with long white sleeves, and had the symbol from the tablet on the chest in white and blue.

"Oh, well hello," she greeted with a soft smile. Her voice sounded old, though more like an aunt than a grandmother. "I wasn't expecting visitors, but welcome. My name is Toriel."

Ginny nodded in response, struggling to find the right words. "I... um... is F-Frisk here?"

"Frisk?" Toriel blinked in surprise.

Just as she was worried that her second intuition was right, and that she had walked into a trap, a small child peeked around the monster. They looked up at her, eyes widening and jaw dropping.

Her knees buckled under her until she fell on them on the porch, barely feeling the pain of collapsing on the concrete. After momentarily freezing, her heart was pounding. Tears burned her eyes. She held out her shaking arms and whispered hoarsely, as if she had been screaming, "Frisk!"

Frisk practically leaped at her chest, wrapping their arms tightly around their sister. They barely seemed to realize that she was hardly dressed for visiting anyone. All that mattered was they were reunited, at long last.

Ginny hugged them close, as if worried they would disappear again. She cupped the back of their head as they nuzzled their face into the crook of her neck. As tears fell down her own face, she could feel wetness smear against her throat, and heard sniffling. "I missed you too," she whispered. "So very much."

After several seconds, she felt eyes on her. Blinking the tears away, she looked up. Toriel had her paws to her mouth, but she could see that she was smiling. Her eyes were also sparkling with unshed tears.

Behind her was a new monster. This one was short, shorter than her, Toriel, or Papyrus, yet taller than Frisk. They were also a skeleton, but their skull was much more round and cartoon-looking, with a wide cheerful grin and round glowing eyes. They were dressed in a blue coat lined with short gray fur, a white shirt, black basketball shorts, and pink slippers. Their hands were stuffed in their pockets, and they were looking at Ginny and Frisk with what could only be described as curiosity.

"... you must be ginny," he remarked. His voice was deep, yet jolly-sounding. Unlike Papyrus, his teeth didn't move when he talked.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to edit Sans and Papyrus's text so it matched their respective fonts, but couldn't figure it out. I do have "Undertale Work Skin" enabled, and I tried looking up how to do it, but apparently coding is harder than it looks X) No matter, I'll just use the lower case and capital for them respectively, as I've seen most writers do.


	4. Chapter 4

Ginny soon found herself at the dinner table, with Frisk on her lap, and sitting alongside Toriel, Papyrus, and Sans, the second skeleton; he also turned out to be Papyrus's older brother, described affectionately as 'a lazy boondoggler'.

He had simply shrugged and said, "guilty as charged."

The dining room, which doubled as the living room, had light wooden boards for flooring, and the wallpaper was cream-colored. The dining table and chairs were made of darker wood, and had a pot of flowers in the center on a crochet cozy. The room was being kept warm by a fireplace.

Toriel had brought out a steaming teapot and several teacups, all on a tray. She then doubled back and brought a pie to the table. Though Ginny expected a fruit pie, or even some sort of meat, it turned out to be snail pie. When asked, she said she had never heard of it before, but was willing to give it a try.

Under differing circumstances, it probably wouldn't have been very tasty. But in the moment, it was the tastiest thing she had as of late. And still warm too.

"Well, Ginny," Toriel said, taking a sip of her tea. "I'm very glad to finally meet you. Frisk told us so much about you."

"Good stuff, I hope," she smiled, ruffling her sibling's hair.

"Oh, yes indeed! But I had been wanting to ask something ever since I learned Frisk had a sister."

"... And what's that?" Toriel hadn't given any suspicious intentions, but she still kept her guard up.

"I'm sure Papyrus must have explained how Frisk came into our care." At Ginny's nod, Toriel continued, "Well, we know that Frisk had come to Mt. Ebott and somehow fallen into our world, so to speak. But what we _don't_ know is why."

"You never asked?"

"I did, yes. But they didn't want to talk about it at the time. They've only been with us for the last four weeks, mind you. And things have been busy lately."

That made sense. She glanced down at Frisk, who nodded silently. "I'm not sure myself why Frisk ran away. They don't live with me; they lived at the orphanage."

"Orphanage?" Toriel questioned, her eyes turning sad.

"We both did, until I turned eighteen. Once that happened, I was out on my own. So, I've been trying to get on my feet for the past four years, so I could adopt Frisk." Her mouth dried as soon as she said that, but she tried not to let her alarm show. _Why did I say how many years it's been taking? That just makes me sound incompetent!_

But Toriel either didn't think that, or she at least didn't let it show. She instead asked gently, "And have you been able to?"

This made Ginny internally panic even more. "Y-yes! I've got a place outside of town, actually. I-I've only recently gotten it though, so I'm still settling in. Unfortunately, I'm not in the best place, financially, to take in Frisk."

Toriel nodded, seemingly in understanding. Papyrus didn't bat an eye, still munching happily at his pie. Sans, however, was staring at Ginny. Even though his expression remained the same, she was skilled enough to garner emotion from someone's facial expressions, no matter how minute they were. It had been a skill she picked up and harnessed in the past few years.

And she could tell he was eyeing her with suspicion. If he had eyebrows, she had no doubt he would be raising one. She could feel his eyes running over her. Not in a perverse way, but more like he was looking into her very soul, trying to see if she was lying or not.

"Well, for the time, I have no qualms with taking care of Frisk," Toriel smiled, seeming to not notice Sans staring at their guest. "It has been so long since I cared for a child, and they've been good company for the past several weeks. If that's all right with you, Ginny. You'd be welcome to visit us any time."

"YES!" Papyrus agreed, raising his fork in the air. "EVEN IF YOU WERE NOT OUR TINY HUMAN'S SISTER, ANY FRIEND OF THEIRS IS A FRIEND OF OURS! I JUST KNOW THAT YOU MUST BE AS KIND AND BRAVE AS FRISK IS!"

"Th-thank you, Papyrus." Ginny flushed. She wasn't sure if she was all that. If what he, and the papers, said were true, then Frisk had braved a whole underground of monsters, befriended them, and liberated them from their mountainous prison. All at the tender age of six. They were the kind and brave one.

Realizing she still had someone else to respond to, she continued, "And thank you, Toriel. I would appreciate you taking care of Frisk. They'd probably never speak to me again if I were to say no."

Frisk leaned their head back and glared up at her, though with a mischievous smile. She returned the childish gesture by pulling down her eyelid and sticking out her tongue. They both broke from their taunts in laughter.

But under the laughter, she was thinking. She didn't know these monsters. And despite them being very polite and friendly—even if Sans still hadn't said much, and was still eyeing her as if waiting for her to say something wrong—she didn't know if she could trust them. Even if she didn't agree with the anti-monster protests saying they should go back where they came, or even leave the country.

But she had little to no choice in the matter. At the moment, she was in no state to care for a child, whether that child was their sibling or not. And Frisk seemed very fond of them, even if they had only spent four weeks of their life with them. If they trusted them, she would have to trust their judgment.

After several more minutes of talking and finishing their pie and tea, Ginny announced that she would have to leave. "Would you like one of us to escort you home?" Toriel offered.

It took all of her self control to not shout out her answer in a panic. "No, that's all right. The rain has stopped, and I could use the exercise."

"A WISE CHOICE, TALL HUMAN! I TOO ENJOY EXERCISE! PERHAPS IF YOU WERE TO VISIT OUR HOUSE, I COULD SHOW YOU THE WAYS IN WHICH I, THE GR-R-REAT PAPYRUS, EXERCISE!" Papyrus offered, rolling the R in his title. "AND MAYBE HELP ME CONVINCE MY LAZY BROTHER TO ATTEND TOO!"

"heh, i'd impressed if you managed to do that," Sans chuckled, having flopped down to sit back against the staircase. He had somehow managed to not fall between the posts.

"Since you seemed to enjoy the snail pie, how about you take home a piece?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't take up more of your hospitality," Ginny protested.

"Please, I insist," Toriel smiled, already holding out a plastic container with a single piece of the pie inside. "The container is disposable, so there's no worry in trying to return it."

Seeing she wasn't worming her way out of it, she took the container. If she was being honest with herself, she was already hungry for a second piece. It really was delicious. "Thank you," she said meekly.

"NEXT TIME WE MEET, YOU CAN TRY MY SPAGHETTI! I HOPE YOU Will FIND IT JUST AS DELICIOUS AS MS. TORIEL'S COOKING!"

"aw, paps, it'd be im **pasta** ble to resist your cooking."

"SANS! YOU'LL ANNOY AWAY OUR NEW FRIEND!" he scolded Sans, stomping his foot once as he clenched his fists.

Friend. This word ran through Ginny's head as she pulled on her coat, said goodbye to everyone, hugged Frisk tightly one last time, and made her way out of the neighborhood. She had only known them for an hour, at least, and they already considered her a friend.

Well, Papyrus did anyway. And Toriel, for sure. Sans was a tougher nut to crack.

In any case, she wasn't quite sure how to feel about most of these monsters already considering her a friend. Especially when she had learned to take such early labelings with a pinch of salt. She simply decided she would have to watch her steps around them.

At least she got free food out of the deal. And good food, at that. It not only satiated her hunger and made her feel warm, it seemed to energize her. And chase away the ache from her earlier shift. Was it because she had gone so long without good home-cooked food? Or was it the fact that it was monster food?

At any rate, it would go nicely with the leftovers she was given at the restaurant, despite them most likely being crushed in her coat. And losing the warmth from the oven from earlier that day.

* * *

The following day, after her shift at the restaurant, Ginny found herself walking into the monster neighborhood yet again. Mainly it was because she wanted to visit Frisk. But she was also still curious about the monsters. Not just because they were interesting, but to make sure they were just as kind and generous as they seemed to be at first glance.

When she arrived at Toriel's house, the motherly goat monster told her that Frisk had gone to visit Sans and Papyrus. She gave her the directions to their house, as well as its description. And after they discussed Frisk, including how happy and excited they had found their sister, she sent her on her way.

The brothers' house was a two-story one, made of brown wood. A small balcony stuck out the right side of the second story, and there was a plastic wreath on the front door, despite it being nowhere near to Christmas. But she decided not to ask about it. Humans themselves had an odd fascination with Halloween decorations, maybe monsters were the same with Christmas

Upon knocking, Frisk answered the door with a gleeful squeal. They managed to jump and grab her middle in a hug.

"Oof! Hello to you too, squirt," she groaned, somehow keeping from falling backwards. "What's new?"

"Papyrus gave me a word search to solve," Frisk answered as they let themselves fall back down to the floor.

"That's good. Keeps your brain working," she nodded, following them into the house.

The first floor consisted of the living room. It had wooden flooring, and a carpet with blue and purple zigzagged stripes. The walls were painted maroon. Under the carpet was a green couch and TV stand, on top of which stood a wide flat screen television. On the left, between the TV and stairs, was a bookcase filled with books, ranging from children's stories to scientific journals; to the right of the TV was a gaming system. Next to the doorway to the kitchen was a table, with a tank of sand. On the sand was a rock, covered with sprinkles. A big black beanbag chair sat next to the couch. Sans was fast asleep in the beanbag, still in his clothes from yesterday.

Suddenly, the door behind them flew open. A yellow dinosaur-like monster in a lab coat ran past and into the kitchen. In their claws was a fire extinguisher.

When Ginny looked into the kitchen, her eyes widened when she saw the stove was on fire. At said stove was Papyrus, and another monster. "GREETINGS, TALL HUMAN!" he greeted as the yellow monster put out the flames. "YOU'RE JUST IN TIME FOR THAT SPAGEHTTI I PROMISED!" When he looked past her, he shouted, "SANS! ON YOUR FEET! WE HAVE A GUEST!"

"cool. i **guest** i'll greet them in a bit," he answered, still not opening his eyes.

Frisk giggled as Papyrus threw his head back with a groan, slapping his forehead. "NO MATTER! TALL HUMAN, I HAVE THE HONOR OF INTRODUCING YOU TO UNDYNE AND ALPHYS!" He gestured to the other two monsters.

The one that had previously been obscured by the smoke was tall, and had blue scales for skin. They had long red hair in a high ponytail, red and blue ears that resembled fish fins, and a yellow eye—the left one had a black eyepatch over it. They wore red eyeshadow, a black tank top, jeans, and red boots.

"You must be the little punk's sister!" she shouted, though not nearly as loud as Papyrus. Her voice was high-pitched, somewhat surprising given her macho appearance. She heavily threw her arm around Ginny's shoulders, causing her to grunt under her strength. "Like Paps said, name's Undyne! You?"

"I-I'm Ginny," she answered, not sure whether she was overwhelmed or frightened by this monster. It took grabbing the doorjam to not buckle under Undyne patting her shoulder with one clawed and webbed hand. Either she didn't know her own strength, or enjoyed showing it off.

"Cool!" she grinned, showing sharp yellow teeth. "Prepare yourself for the best spaghetti you'll ever have!" She finally let Ginny go to help Papyrus pour it from the pot to a large bowl.

"S-sorry about that," the other monster, whom she assumed was Alphys, stammered with a shy smile. Now that she was standing still, Ginny saw she was wearing thick glasses. "Sh-she can be a bit m-much for new people. Bu-but she means well."

Ginny simply nodded, rubbing her shoulder. Looking around the kitchen, its floor was patterned with orange and red tiles, and the walls were mustard yellow. It had the usual kitchen furniture, as well as a red dining table and chairs. As she sat in one of the chairs, her stomach rumbled.

"Heard that from across the room!" Undyne laughed, setting the bowl of spaghetti heavily on the table.

"Yeah, I had a light lunch," she shrugged.

"SANS! THE SPAGHETTI IS FINISHED!" Papyrus called out as he spooned generous helpings onto several plates.

As everyone else sat down, Sans walked into the kitchen. "s'up, ginny," he greeted, flopping into his seat.

"Hi," she nodded, still not sure what to make of him. But she reminded herself that she barely knew him, so it wasn't fair to pass judgment so quickly. Trying to distract herself, she twirled her fork in the spaghetti that Alphys passed to her. The sauce was so tenderized, she wondered if Papyrus had thrown everything into a blender, rather than stir everything together. And the noodles looked quite overdone.

But when she took her bite, it wasn't that bad. Actually, it was really good. Maybe not the best, but still really good. Alphys and Frisk gave her odd looks, Undyne raised an eyebrow, seeming impressed; even Sans seemed surprised. But she was being genuine in that it was the best spaghetti she had had in a long time. Maybe that last part was a bit exaggerated, but she found it was worth it to see Papyrus so happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Initially, this chapter was even longer. But I cut out a good chunk so that this chapter didn't jump so much in wordage, and because the part I cut out still fit nicely with what I have for the next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

The following day, which was a free one from the restaurant, Ginny took to wandering the streets. Papyrus had sent her home with a container of spaghetti. She didn't have the heart to try and say he didn't need to, as he had been so ecstatic that she enjoyed it. She wondered if he and Toriel always gave samples of their cooking to new friends, or if she just looked thin, and they were looking out for her.

Hugging her arms around her middle, she kicked a pebble as her thoughts turned down a slightly darker path. Though Frisk didn't talk much, they told her enough; that Toriel had basically become a mom to them. The best mom they could ask for. In fact, several monsters, including the brothers, Undyne, and Alphys, were like a tight-knit family. They looked out for each other, and cared for each other. And despite being a human, that was no exception for Frisk.

Ginny wondered what it would be like, to be part of a family again. It had been so long since she had one, she nearly forgot what it felt like. She knew Frisk barely remembered what it was like, having been in the orphanage for nearly their whole life. Back then, the only family they had was each other.

What did it feel like, to have a huge family?

She froze when she heard her name being called. Looking in the direction, she saw Toriel and Frisk, walking hand in hand towards her. "I thought that was you," she smiled. In her other paw were some plastic bags. "Frisk and I just got done shopping, and were going to visit someone. Would you like to come?"

She nearly refused, telling them that she didn't want to impose. But Frisk looked up at her with pleading eyes, completing the look with a quivering lip. She sighed softly. She could never resist that look. "That sounds fun," she nodded.

"Well, maybe not so much fun," Toriel confessed as they walked towards the monster neighborhood. "At least, for me."

"What do you mean?"

"We'll be visiting the king today, Asgore. And... my ex-husband."

Her eyes widened at that realization; that Toriel was the queen of the monsters. Or was? She knew with human monarchs, when a king and queen divorced, one would no longer be able to keep their title. Maybe it was different with monsters?

At any rate, they soon arrived at the house. It was a cute little cottage, surrounded by golden flowers. The house itself had darker golden colors, and just looked generally cozy.

At the door, they were greeted by another goat monster. This one was taller than Toriel, with more yellowed fur. He had a golden yellow mane and beard, and long horns that curved backwards. He wore a purple cloak, with golden pauldrons on his shoulders, and a crown on his head. His eyes were a similar color to Toriel, but a few shades lighter.

"Howdy," he greeted with a smile. His voice was deep and gruff, but warm.

"Asgore," Toriel nodded in an icy tone. She walked past him, ignoring his saddened face, as well as Frisk's soft sigh.

Shaking his head as if a fly had landed on him, Asgore opened his eyes and turned to Ginny, smiling yet again. "And you must be Ginny."

"I am... Y-Your Highness," she stammered, curtsying. She glared at Frisk's snicker.

"Oh, no need for that," he chuckled kindly. "Just plain ol' Asgore will do. I've heard quite a bit about you, my dear."

"I'm the new gossip in the neighborhood, I suppose?" She had noticed after that first day, when she would walk past the monster houses, the inhabitants would wave and wish her a good day, either calling her by name, or verbally recognizing her as Frisk's sister. Unlike humans, they seemed to have the decency to not whisper about her, as she walked by, as if she were deaf.

"In a way, yes. Everyone was so excited that you had been found, ever since Frisk—"

"—I thought we had business to discuss." Toriel cleared her throat, standing by a closed door with an expectant expression.

"Er, yes," Asgore replied, steeling himself into a serious form. "Frisk, you can show Ginny around while Tori-Toriel and I talk." He patted their head before joining Toriel.

As they went through the door, Frisk gestured for Ginny to follow them down a hall. They pushed a door open, revealing a bedroom that was obviously decorated for a child. To her surprise, there was a large flower pot on a table; in the pot was a single golden flower. Though, that wasn't the surprising part.

The surprising part was the fact that the flower had a face. A face that was emoting.

"Ugh, you're back," he groaned in a squeaky voice. He looked up at Ginny as Frisk patted his head. "And who're _you_?"

 _Someone who doesn't know my name? What are the chances?_ "Ginny, Frisk's older sister," she answered, crossing her arms. She didn't appreciate how rude this flower was. "Who're _you_?"

He drew his head back in surprise, but then grinned widely. "Flowey! Flowey the flower!"

"... Flowey?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What? What's wrong with that?" he snapped, glaring childishly.

"Nothing," she shrugged, sitting down on the ground.

"So... Ginny, how're you feeling about monsters?" Flowey asked with a smirk.

"They're okay... why?"

"Oh, nothing much," he shrugged—somehow. "How much have you learned about them?"

"Learned in the way of personalities... or how they tick?"

"Ooh, you're a smart one!" he cooed. "I mean about their souls."

Ginny had heard talk of souls. How all monsters and humans had souls. That they were the very culmination of one's being. And that while monsters had white souls, humans had one of seven colors. It was mostly from overhearing gossip, news reports, or from newspapers. She said as much.

"Well, human souls are _much_ more powerful than monsters! They can do amazing things!"

"Like?"

"Well, that barrier that was keeping everyone under the mountain? It would have taken millions of monster souls to break that barrier. But it took seven human ones to break it."

"What are you saying? That there were actually seven humans down in the underground?"

"Not just humans... children. Children _souls_!" Flowey's grin was growing wider, with sharp teeth growing behind his lips. His eyes changed from thin and black to white and round, with glaring eyebrows. He looked very unnerving. "Six human children died down there! And their souls were harvested, merely for the sole purpose of breaking that barrier! Frisk was the last one to fall."

While it was horrifying to learn that other children had fallen and died, she realized it must have happened long ago, seeing as she had never heard reports of children going up into the mountain and never returning. It was concerning that they might have died at the monsters' hands, claws, or what have you, but she had already decided to judge them on their current actions, rather than their past. After all, Frisk had managed to convince them not to hurt them, so they couldn't all be bad.

When she turned to Frisk, they were frowning at Flower, looking the picture of sternness. "If you're trying to scare me, it's not gonna work," Ginny said, flicking him where his nose would be. She smirked when he grunted and pouted, and as Frisk giggled.

* * *

It was two days later when things changed. Ginny found herself, once again, in Toriel's house. Sans and Papyrus were visiting as well. Sans had made himself comfy on the new couch Toriel had bought recently, claiming he was testing to see if it was nap-worthy. If his snores were anything to go by, it was.

Papyrus was sitting on the floor, with Frisk on his crossed legs; Toriel was on the floor as well, sitting in front of them. A large puzzle box was between them. She said the local college, where she was learning to be a teacher, had given it to her to use as practice. Frisk had volunteered to be the practice student, and Papyrus happily joined in. He apparently enjoyed puzzles.

Ginny was stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorjam with her arms crossed against her chest. Though they weren't meaning to, and it might have been partially her fault, she felt left out. Not just out of the games they were currently playing, but in general. Frisk had a new family. When they spent time together for the past four days, as siblings, the monsters were all they would talk about. It seemed there was always a new monster to talk about, or something new about the previous monsters to discuss.

It was like they didn't even miss their older sister. Like they had forgotten that she and they were the only family they had. Obviously, that wasn't the case. But at the moment, it was all Ginny could think about.

She blinked out of her stewing when she realized Toriel was trying to get her attention. "Yes?" she responded, trying not to be rude despite herself.

"Come over here, please," she smiled, holding out a paw.

She gingerly approached them, laying her hand in Toriel's paw when she still held it out. "Yesterday, I was able to speak to the administrator of the orphanage you and Frisk lived at."

"... And?" The pit of her stomach felt shaky; something that always seemed to happen when something she didn't like was imminent to occur.

"Well, we had a long talk. And it's still in the works, for various reasons," she wrinkled her nose briefly as she uttered those words, but quickly brightened up again, "but I'm in the process of officially adopting Frisk!"

She had said more after that statement. Ginny had been told this later on, and she could hear her speaking now. But it sounded like she dunked her head in a bowl of water, causing the words to sound slurred and distant. All she could focus on was what she heard her last say.

"Excuse me?" she shouted, yanking her hand from Toriel's. She backed away as if she had been standing in lava. "How dare you!"

Everyone was now staring at her, utterly confused. Even Sans had snapped from his nap. Toriel tried to intervene, but Ginny interrupted, " _I'm_ Frisk's sister! _Their_ family! I have been working, down to the bone, for the past four years to get them out of that damned orphanage! Away from those people who tried to separate us, several times! I'm _not_ going to let anyone else do that ever again, human or monster!"

"Th-that's not what I'm trying to do!" Toriel protested, her voice somehow remaining soft. She stood up and reached out her paws, either to calm Ginny down or try to take her hands. She wasn't sure at the time. "I'm just trying to help—"

"—I don't need your help! I don't need anyone's help! I've been working at this all on my own! Besides, what do _you_ know about human children? That flower told me other children had died down in those ruins! Frisk is a human! How could you possibly know what's good for them?"

"Stop it!" Frisk suddenly shouted, jumping off of Papyrus's legs. "Ginny, stop it!"

Ginny stood still, panting from her shouts. Tears had been running down her face as she ranted, and her voice had been beginning to crack. Everyone was staring at her, all a mix of shock and confusion. Though she wasn't looking straight at him, she could feel Sans's judging glare on her being. It made the skin on her back crawl.

How long would it take until the other monsters were staring at her with such judgment? It may have been too late.

Finally, with a big sniffle, she turned and ran out of the house. No one called out to her, for her to stop and come back. They let her go, and heard her thudding footprints down the sidewalk, and presumably out of the neighborhood.

"... Oh dear," Toriel whispered, holding a paw to her heart. "I... I didn't mean any harm."

"OF COURSE YOU DID NOT, TORIEL," Papyrus shook his head. Even his voice was starting to quiver from the tension Ginny had left the room in. "SHE... SHE WAS MISTAKEN!"

"Perhaps I should go try to find her," she continued, as if she hadn't heard him. "Try and explain things better."

"nah, don't trouble yourself, tori," Sans said, letting himself slide off of the couch and onto the floor. Amazingly, he still sounded like his usual self. No betrayal of emotions. "i'll go find her."

"Are you sure?"

"sure. i'll talk to her."

As he walked to the door and swung it open, Toriel called out to him again, "Sans... please don't be too hard on her. Something about what I said... it hurt her deeply."

He remained silent for several seconds before nodding, "i'll do my best." As he left the house, he heard his brother warn him to be careful, as it was liable to rain. He waved his hand back as he shut the door and walked out onto the sidewalk.

* * *

Sure enough, as he left the monster neighborhood, fat drops began to fall from the sky. They splattered against his head, his coat, and the ground. Though it was heavy, it wasn't fast. He kept his hands shoved in his pockets as he moseyed down the sidewalk, ignoring the rain to instead think of what had just happened.

Though he didn't speak much of her, he didn't know what to make of Ginny. She seemed a pretty casual human on the surface, other than being quite shy—though he wondered if that was around everyone, not just monsters. But at the same time, he kept an eye socket on her, just waiting for her to suddenly turn and reveal herself; to show her true colors.

Was that episode she had just that turn? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe the start of her turn? It certainly didn't win any favors from him. In that moment, he thought her to be very rude and ungrateful. Here Toriel was, trying to keep Frisk in one place where Ginny could stay with them. And what thanks or gratitude did she get? Shouting in the face.

But at the same time, he could understand what she had been yelling about. If he had lost Papyrus, and found him again years later with another family, he would be possessive of him too. Especially if that family wanted to adopt him, without he himself even knowing them. Or barely, as it were. Since no one had taken either Frisk or Ginny from the orphanage, they were the only family either of them had; he and Papyrus could relate to that.

But that still didn't give her an excuse to be nasty, and he was itching to tell her that himself. But he did promise Toriel he wouldn't be too harsh on her. "geez, me and promises," he sighed, wiping water off of the top of his skull. "we just seem to keep meeting and meeting."

After some time, he saw the bridge that Papyrus had first found Ginny at. He could see a group of humans in the middle of it; he could hear them too, but not clearly enough for their voices to be crystal clear, especially through the rain. There were four in all, including Ginny herself. She was standing with her back against the railing, while the other three humans were facing her. They seemed to be talking to her. And judging by the way she was leaning back from them, they were really getting in her personal space.

 _maybe telling her how rude she was? figures she'd run and whine to her human friends about how mean the monsters were for taking her sibling,_ Sans scoffed. But he kept his hands in his pockets as he continued to the bridge, still keeping a casual pace. He wasn't in any hurry.

Before he could react, Ginny was falling backwards over the railing. She reached the concrete fast. Her head bounced off with a sickening crack. She had screamed as she fell, but didn't cry out in pain, or curl up and clutch her head. She laid on the ground, limp as a ragdoll.

Sans had froze when he heard the scream. His eyes widened in shock when he heard the crack, and once he finally registered what had happened. With a gasp, he ran to her limp form. Red blood was pooling around her head, but he tried not to panic; apparently, humans were prone to bleeding heavily from even a small scratch on the head. When he knelt down and listened, she was still breathing. But it sounded like gasps, obviously in pain.

When he looked up at the bridge, the three humans were running away. They had left their friend behind! Perhaps it was because he was a monster, and they were afraid he would do something to her. He would worry about that later.

Clenching his fists awkwardly, he carefully lifted her up into his arms, one under her knees, and the other cradling her neck as gently as he could. It surprised him that she was so light. With how bulky humans looked—at least, compared to him and Papyrus—and the clothes she was wearing, he expected her to be heavier.

He looked back the way he came, his mind racing. Should he teleport? It would get him back to the house quicker. No, it might hurt her! If there was one thing he learned about humans, it was that head injuries were nothing to take lightly. Teleporting made Frisk queasy on a good, healthy day.

With no other choice, he began to run.

He held her firmly against his body so as not to jostle her too much. But either she felt it, or she was simply coming to; at any rate, she was groaning. Her free hand slowly reached up clutch his jacket. "S-Sans?" she whimpered. "It h-hurts..."

"yeah, i know," he whispered, all negative thoughts about her temporarily wiped away. "don't worry, though. you'll be fine. you just gotta stay awake for me."

She didn't answer him verbally. She continued to whimper, and tried to push her head against his shoulder. As he approached the gate to the monster neighborhood, to his horror, he felt her grip on his jacket loosen. "hey! ginny! stay with me! you gotta stay awake! ginny! wake up!"

Her head lolled back against his arm, and her arm hung limp, swaying as he continued to run.


	6. Chapter 6

"toriel! help me!"

Everyone jumped when Sans suddenly thrust the door open. His left eye was still glowing light-blue, despite not using magic to open the door anymore. Ginny's limp form was clutched in his arms, and they were both soaking wet.

"What happened?" Toriel exclaimed, quickly taking her in her own arms. She tried to be as gentle as she could when she saw the blood soaking her hair. Some of it had leaked onto Sans's jacket, but he didn't seem to notice.

"i found her on that bridge papyrus found her on! she was with some humans, and she fell off! she hit her head, real bad!" He looked terrified, which scared Papyrus and Frisk even more. They had rarely seen him break face.

Without another word, Toriel whisked Ginny down the hall and into the guest bedroom. She laid her on the tidy bed, but didn't let her head fall on the pillow. Still cupping the back of her injured skull with one paw, she held the other paw over her. It began to glow green. Green orbs floated down to her head, aiming for where she had been injured the most. Once the magic reached its target, it brightened for several seconds. Then, it slowly dissipated.

"Someone fetch me a wet washcloth!" Toriel called out. "A warm one!"

After a few minutes, Sans walked into the room, holding out a purple washcloth. It was wet with warm water, though not completely soaked. She took it from him, and gently cleaned the blood off of her head and hair. "... sorry, tori," he groaned, rubbing the left side of his forehead; his eye had calmed down by then. "i shoulda been quicker."

"You should have taken her to the hospital," she whispered, though not in an accusatory tone.

"yeah, i know that too. i panicked."

"It's all right. It was probably just as well, they would have thought you were the one who hurt her. It may have lead to more trouble. And this wasn't your fault, Sans. You couldn't have known what was happening. You did everything you could."

She was so busy with Ginny, she didn't see his face fall further, as if he was thinking the opposite; that he could have done something more, or at least different.

They heard footsteps slowly come into the room. When they both glanced over their shoulders, they saw Papyrus shuffling in, holding Frisk. They both looked scared, and were weeping. "I've done all I can, my dears," Toriel sighed, wiping the blood off of her sleeve with the washcloth. "All we can do now is wait." She eyed the remaining blood stains warily, resolving to wash her dress thoroughly as soon as she could.

"IS... IS SHE SLEEPING?" Papyrus asked, trying to keep his shaky voice as low as he could manage. He was pressed against the side of the bed as close as physically possible, still holding Frisk in his arms. They reached out and stroked their sister's forehead, sniffling.

"It's like sleeping. She's in a very deep sleep, somewhat like in those human fairy tales I have. But she won't be able to be woken up by us. She'll have to do that herself." She paused as she carefully pulled the blanket out from under Ginny, and draped it over her, tucking it gently under her chin. "And that may take some time."

* * *

First thing the next morning, Toriel checked on Ginny. She was still sleeping. Nothing had changed, though she figured that was better than anything changing for the worse. The area where she healed her head injury still looked good as new, which she was happy for. Monster researched showed that if an injury was severe enough, it required repeated healings before it was completely back to normal.

As she and Frisk ate their breakfast, she said, "Today, I thought we'd go to town and go shopping. We need some more groceries, and I think it would be a good idea to have some spare clothes for your sister. I don't wish to invade her privacy by checking her tags, so I'll simply be taking measurements."

"But... who'll watch her?" Frisk asked.

Before she could answer, there was a knock at the door. Toriel glanced through the curtains, and opened the door with a smile. "Thank you for coming, M.W.. I know it's not an ideal situation—"

"—nonsense! You'd do the same for me," the monster smiled as she entered the house. Frisk recognized her as Monster Kid's mother. Like M.K., their mother resembled a tall dinosaur, with only two hind legs and a tail. Instead of being yellow, she was yellow-orange, with red spikes running down the back of her head. Her hair was darker red, and was held back with a blue bow. Her dress was also blue, with stars randomly spattered across.

"Hello, Frisk," she greeted, patting the young human's head with the end of her long tail. "M.K. wanted to come along as well, but I told them it probably wouldn't be a good idea. Especially since you and Toriel are going shopping."

"Maybe some other time, when we're all at home," Toriel said, excusing herself to check on Ginny once again, and to change her clothes. After they had gotten settled in, she explored the local human clothes stores to see what they had. She struck up a conversation with one employee, recalling how she had worn a different dress than what she normally wore, only for other monsters to call her a cow by way of saying "moo-moo" at her. The employee was kind enough to inform her that they weren't mooing at her, but were referring to the dress she was wearing: a muumuu. Toriel found the whole situation so funny, she bought a white and black-patterned muumuu.

This was what she changed into after taking note of Ginny's clothing measurements. As she was walking back to the living room, notebook in hand, Frisk passed by her to get ready for the day. Toriel lead M.W. To the guest bedroom where Ginny laid, still asleep. "She's been like this for several hours now," she sighed, stroking her forehead. "Nothing's changed. I suppose that's good news, but still..."

"I promise, Toriel, that if anything _does_ change, good or bad, I'll call you," M.W. Said.

"You won't have to watch her all day," she chuckled. "Just check in on her every now and again."

Once Frisk came out, teeth and hair brushed, and with fresh clothes on, Toriel grabbed her purse, and they were on their way.

* * *

Once they were out of the monster neighborhood, it was only a few blocks until they reached town. Before then, though, there were several human houses they had to walk by. Only a tiny number of houses were still inhabited; once the monsters were confirmed to be permanently staying, several families up and moved away, disgusted that they would have to be 'sharing' their town with them. Some of the ones that did remain, but still hated monsters, simply resolved to avoid them at all costs.

Despite the rainfall the previous day, it was a nice, sunny day. And that meant children were outside, playing. Two that Toriel and Frisk came upon were playing with wooden swords, jumping and jutting around their front yard, and even onto the sidewalk. When the mother and child duo were close enough, one of the kids darted behind Toriel with a playful jibe to their partner.

She had barely paused to smile at their playfulness when the other child, perhaps blinded by the intensity of their game, swiped their sword at their friend. The tip, though not as sharp as a knife, was still sharp enough to injure. It cut through Toriel's dress and scratched her abdomen. She grunted in surprise and pain, but managed to push Frisk out of the way.

Whether it was her sounds, or what had happened in general, it scared all of the children. The two that had been playing jumped away, their eyes bulging and their faces reddening. Then, they began to shake and cry, still clutching their toys. "I'm sorry!" one exclaimed. "I didn't mean to!"

"It's all right, little ones," Toriel said gently, smiling at them. "It was just an accident." As she calmed them down—as well as Frisk, who looked incredibly startled too—she gestured at her abdomen, "See? Barely a scratch. And I can mend this later. Next time, though, do try to be more careful. You could even injure yourselves."

The two children wiped their tears away with their hands and sleeves, and both nodded. After reassuring all three of them that she was indeed all right, and that they themselves would be fine after such a scare, she and Frisk left the two children to their activities. Frisk glanced back at them, seeing that they had decided to sit in the grass and calm down. "Are you really okay?" they asked as she took their hand in her paw.

"Well, this tear will be embarrassing to bear in town. But yes, I'm all right." She nodded. "It's not bad enough to warrant healing, so I'll leave it be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This probably goes with little saying, but I have little to no knowledge on head injuries. With this being a fanfic, especially one with monsters that could perform magic, probably nothing will be medically accurate. If you or someone you know hits their head hard enough to bleed and/or pass out, get yourself/them to a hospital, stat. They'll know what to do.


	7. Chapter 7

Finally reaching the clothes store, Toriel bought a few shirts, pairs of pants, and socks—she would save the more private clothes for Ginny herself to get. Once she woke up, she hoped to talk to her and explain her whole reasoning for going to the orphanage to talk about Frisk. When she thought back to the incident, Ginny had probably misunderstood, or hadn't quite heard the whole story. So, she figured the sooner everything was straightened out, the better.

One article of clothing that she thought was really cute was dark-denim short overalls. There had been a mannequin modeling the overalls, as well as a T-shirt, stockings, and short boots. She decided to simply get the overalls, in case Ginny liked styles other than shirts and pants. She also got a couple of dresses; she thought about getting sandles as well, but recalled that buying shoes was difficult for human to do, let alone buying a pair as a present. So, she left it alone for the time being.

Once that was finished, she let Frisk pick out some clothes for themselves: two shirts—one in a plain color, and the other with a skull and crossbones on the front—two pairs of pants, some socks and underwear, and a sock cap for when winter came.

Though Toriel didn't buy any clothes for herself, she did find a sewing kit.

Though monsters had used gold as currency, finding an abundance of it below the mountain, they couldn't use it in human shops. Eventually, an exchange rate was figured out so that they could exchange gold for human currency. There were still some tweaks to figure out, but it had been largely decided on. Though many monsters bemoaned the loss of their familiar currency, they were happy to learn the human way so they could still shop and sell their goods.

Once they were finished clothes shopping, with their purchases fitting in one large bag, they walked to the grocery store. Toriel loved cooking, and tried to use as many fresh ingredients as possible. They went grocery shopping every week, so she would plan out their meals in advance, and would get the ingredients for said meals. But she would also get various snacks—all the while, telling Frisk not to eat too much at a time between meals, so as not to spoil their appetite, or make themselves sick. And sometimes, she would get ingredients for a dessert, whether it was cake, cookies, or pie.

Just as they were looking at the bread, Frisk saw two familiar faces. "Hi, Sans and Papyrus!" they called out, waving.

"AH, TINY HUMAN AND TORIEL!" Papyrus exclaimed happily. On his arm was a shopping basket, filled with items for spaghetti, as well as a couple of cookbooks that were, surprisingly, not completely about spaghetti. Sans was balancing a basket on his head, which merely carried the biggest bottle of ketchup the grocery store supplied. "HOW IS THE TALL HUMAN? HAVE THEY AWOKEN?"

"No, not yet," Toriel sighed, glancing at her phone to see if there were any texts or missed calls. "M.W. is keeping an eye on her while Frisk and I do some shopping."

"A NOBLE THING FOR HER TO DO!" Papyrus declared, looking among the bread until deciding to get a loaf of buttery bread. Having little to no room in his basket, he dropped it into Sans's. "SANS AND I WERE PERUSING FOR OUR OWN KITCHEN!"

"That's us as well. Once we're finished, we'll be walking home ourselves."

"NONSENSE! I WOULD BE HAPPY TO DRIVE THE TWO OF YOU HOME!"

"he got his license recently," Sans explained, finally taking his basket into his hands. "and he bought his new car just this morning."

"Really? You don't think it's too soon?"

"IT'S NEVER TOO SOON TO BUY A NEW CAR! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ONE TO BEGIN WITH. I WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO DRIVE EVERYONE HOME!"

"Well, if you insist, Papyrus," Toriel smiled, finally choosing a whole wheat loaf and dropping it into her shopping cart. "I haven't been in a car yet, actually, so this should be an exciting new experience!"

"FABULOUS! THEN LET'S HURRY UP AND CHECK OUT!" He began trotting towards the registers, the items in his basket nearly bouncing out.

"slow down, paps," Sans chuckled. "tori and the kid might need more things."

"No, we're pretty much finished," Toriel shook her head as the three of them followed Papyrus.

* * *

Once they were all checked out, carrying their bags—Papyrus had wanted to insist on carrying them all, but had been talked down from it, with Toriel saying he was already doing so much in driving them home—they walked out onto the parking lot. Holding his bags in one arm, Papyrus fished a key ring out of his pocket. On it was one large key with several buttons, a little skull keychain, and a smaller house-key. He pressed one of the buttons with his thumb, and one of the several cars chirped. "you forget where we parked?" Sans asked.

"NO, I JUST ENJOY HEARING THE SOUND!" Papyrus answered cheerfully, marching in the direction of his car. The others followed after him, smiling or laughing at his response. "TA-DA!"

The car he was posing next to was a red convertible with two rows of seating, including the driver and passenger seats. The top was down, revealing soft brown leather seating, and there was a pair of fluffy dice hanging off of the rear view mirror.

"Ooh, very nice, Papyrus!" Toriel admired. "It's just your color."

"WHY, THANK YOU," he beamed, unlocking the car and opening the driver's side door. "AS SOON AS I SAW IT, I KNEW I HAD TO HAVE IT!"

"should'a seen the guy's face when papyrus barely blinked at the price," Sans recalled, setting his grocery bag on the floor of the back seat; his feet didn't reach the ground at all. "one of the other guys said it was probably the fastest deal made he had ever seen."

"I'm glad things went smoothly," Toriel said as she helped Frisk get fastened in the child's seat in the back. It obviously hadn't come with the car, so it made her feel warm that the brothers were looking out for their best interest. One of the things she had learned was when a child was in a car, they needed a special seat, and that it was only after they were a certain age and/or weight, they could sit on a normal car seat.

As soon as the bags were put away and everyone was seated in—Papyrus in the driver seat, Toriel in the passenger seat, and Sans and Frisk in the back seats—he turned the key in the ignition. It started with a chuff, and let out a loud purr. "I DON'T THINK I'LL EVER GET TIRED OF THAT!" he said giddily, nearly bouncing in his seat as he pulled out of the parking space.

"hey toriel, how's ginny?" Sans asked, leaning forward and tapping on her arm.

"... Largely the same. I have no clue if she's stirred at all, or if there was any change at all. Where she hit her head looks healed... but I don't know if there's any damage inside. Damage that I won't be able to heal." She looked down at her clenched paws. "My healing magic can only heal exterior damage. Nothing on the inside."

"hey, you did your best. it was my fault for not getting her to a proper hospital."

As the car drove down the street, coming to complete stops at red lights and stop signs, she sighed, "Maybe once we get home, if there's still no change, I'll take her to th—!"

Out of nowhere, a random car drove in front of Papyrus, despite their light being red; if they were looking fast enough, they would have seen the driver was scrolling on their smartphone, barely paying attention to the road.

Papyrus slammed on the break as hard as he could. The car skidded to a stop with a loud screech, nearly bouncing off of its back tires. Everyone was pitched forward, only saved by their seatbelts. Papyrus's head snapped forward with a crack, though his groan of pain and his hand moving to the back of his neck showed that there was no serious damage. Toriel managed to lean back and brace her feet against the floor of the car. Sans's head nearly smashed into the back of her seat, but he got away with barely a tap; his arm had immediately shot in front of Frisk, as if shielding them from somehow flying out of their seat.

The driver of the other car was startled to a stop by the loud screech. They glared at the red car and blared their horn before taking off.

The car sat in the middle of the street for several more minutes while everyone caught their breath. "Is everyone all right?" Toriel asked.

"me and the kid are good, yeah?" Sans asked Frisk. They nodded numbly.

"OW, MY NECK HURTS," Papyrus groaned, still rubbing the back of his vertebrae.

"Where does it hurt?"

"... EVERYWHERE? I FEEL LIKE MY HEAD NEARLY POPPED OFF!"

"I don't think I'd dare heal it myself," Toriel sighed. "If I use my healing on places that don't need it, I could hurt you more."

"IT'S ALL RIGHT, TORIEL," he grunted, finally driving the car off to the side of the road. Luckily, no one else was honking at him to move. While no one was stopping to help or ask if everyone was okay, people were passing by with looks of concerned aimed their way. "I'LL JUST DRIVE TO THE HOSPITAL—"

"—ehhh, i don't think that's a good idea, paps," Sans interrupted. "you might hurt yourself more."

"BUT HOW WILL I GET THERE? NO ONE ELSE WITH US HAS A DRIVER'S LIC—"

They were interrupted, yet again. But this time, it was by loud sirens. A firetruck passed them by, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

"THEY'RE GOING IN THE DIRECTION OF UNDYNE'S GYM!"


	8. Chapter 8

After the monsters had surfaced, and went through the mess of interviews and citizenship, Undyne decided to start working at the local gym. She would help put away weights that had been left out on the floor, and would assist people with their workout. Though her motivation methods were extreme, with her shouting at the top of her lungs, calling them all sorts of names, and using many empty threats—it was a common joke that she should have been a drill sergeant instead, which she took in great stride, and said she was done with any war-related fighting—she was well-liked by most of her co-workers.

Papyrus had managed to convince the others that he could still drive, despite having an injured neck, by promising he would be very careful. It also helped that the others kept sharp eyes out for any other oncoming accidents.

Soon enough, they reached the gym.

There were two firetrucks on the scene. They were all parked behind the gym, where only the backside of the building was still smoking. Along with human firefighters, there were also monster firefighters. They either held onto the hoses so the humans holding the hoses so they wouldn't get knocked back, or used water as an element to put out the fire.

Averyone saw Undyne sitting at one firetruck, with an oxygen mask being held to her face. Alphys stood by, looking very twitchy and nervous.

Everyone exited Papyrus's car and approached the truck. When it looked like the firefighter was about to dismiss them, Undyne held up a hand. "They're my friends," she said after removing the mask. Her voice sounded scratchy, very nearly hoarse. She was covered in soot, though didn't look to be burned.

"What happened?" Toriel asked, brushing some of the black powder from her shoulders.

"Ugh, it was a _mess_! I was making tea in the break room, but apparently coffee machines can't handle tea," she rolled her eyes.

"O-or at least th-the way y-you make it," Alphys added.

"Heh, true, I like it hot-hot- _hot_!" She paused to cough, and then took a few breaths from the oxygen mask. "Anyway, the damn thing started sparking and smoking. Eventually, it burst into actual flames! The fire _and_ smoke spread, really fast. Everyone had to evacuate. But _somebody_ locked all the doors to the break room, trapping me inside!"

"ARE YOU CERTAIN?" Papyrus asked. He had explained to another firefighter that the reason he was standing so stiffly was because he and his friends had nearly been in a car accident, and he hurt his neck. They were now examining his vertebrae, though they freely admitted that he should see a proper doctor as well. "I MEAN, PERHAPS IT WAS AN ACCIDENT—"

"—I know what happened!" Undyne shouted, coughing again. "I'm sure of it! I heard the click! I had to kick down the damn door!" She then hugged herself with a shudder. "I-I was really starting to panic in there. I thought... I felt like I was melting!" She looked down at her spread palms, as if checking to see if she actually was melting.

"You're not," Alphys whispered, laying a hand on her arm. "Y-you were probably hallucinating, or at best, were becoming extremely overheated. Heat stroke, maybe. I-in any case, you're alive. A-and you're safe."

Undyne's frown slowly turned into a smile. "Heh, you always know what to say, don't you?"

"W-w-well, not always," she stammered, fidgeting her glasses. "I-I just try to s-say what might be th-the best." She squeaked when Undyne kissed her on the forehead. She laughed as Alphys's face turned bright red-orange.

"By the way, how's the punk's sister?"

"Did... did Sans or Papyrus tell you what happened?" Frisk asked softly.

"No... why, did something happen?"

Toriel and Sans both quickly explained what had transpired the previous day, including what Ginny hadn't listened to before going into her rant. By the time they were finished, Undyne was clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. "That little bitch!" she snarled. "When I get my hands on her, I'll—"

"—Undyne, calm yourself," Toriel said, laying her paws on her shoulders. "Now is not the time to be thinking about revenge. She still hasn't woken, and I fear that she may be injured beyond what I can heal. In any case, _I_ don't hold anything against her for the time being."

"She's right, Undyne," Alphys added. "I-It's obvious that she was r-really hurt, even if Toriel didn't mean it, or make sense. She and Frisk are the only f-family each other has. And she just found them again. Sh-she doesn't want to lose them in any ca-capacity."

"hell, even i admit i can understand," Sans confessed. "i mean, if i found papyrus after a long time, and the people that were taking care of him wanted to take him in, i'd feel pretty upset too."

"I guess," she humphed. "It still doesn't make her not selfish."

"no," Sans agreed with a frown. "and when she wakes up, if she doesn't fully explain herself, i'm definitely gonna have a few words with her."

"What do you mean, 'fully explain herself'?" Toriel asked.

"she's hiding something. i just know it. every time i look at her, i feel like she's got secrets, whether good or bad. this getting upset about you adopting frisk, it's something deeper. it's gotta be."

Toriel was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Well, Asgore tells me you're the best judge of character. So, I'll trust you."

"i guess you could say that," he shrugged with a lazy smirk.

After a few minutes, an ambulance pulled up. "Was anyone else hurt?" Undyne immediately asked as soon as the paramedics came around the corner.

"Not as far as we know," one answered. "But we're still going to be taking you to the hospital to be further evaluated—"

"—hell no! I'm fine!"

"We've got several monster doctors, so the hospital will be better-equipped to check you over," the paramedic continued as if they hadn't been interrupted. They and their partner opened the back of the ambulance as they spoke and argued.

"I don't care if they got the best healer! I'm fine!"

"Undyne?" Alphys spoke up. "Please, don't argue."

"But—"

"—Undyne, th-the firefighters can't tell if there's any underlying d-damage caused by the smoke or fire. Not even the monster firefighters. P-please, just do this for your friends' sake? For _my_ sake?"

Undyne was silent for several minutes before heavily sighing, "All right, I can't resist my favorite girl." She stood up as Alphys flushed again. "If they can get my voice back to normal, it'll be even more worth it."

"I can't promise miracles, but at the same time, I don't fully know the advantages of monster medicine," the paramedic replied as they helped Undyne into the back of the vehicle. "Sir, you should probably come too," they said to Papyrus. "We were told you had a neck injury, yes?"

"INDEED, I DID. BUT WHO WILL BRING MY BROTHER AND FRIENDS? NONE OF THEM CAN DRIVE MY CAR."

"I-I'll drive," Alphys volunteered, holding up a small plastic card. "I also g-got my license. I'll take g-good care of your car."

"I BELIEVE YOU WILL, ALPHYS!" Papyrus grinned as he handed her the keys. He climbed into the ambulance and sat beside Undyne. The doors were shut, and the paramedics walked back to the front of the vehicle.

"You're welcome to drive behind us to the hospital," the other one said. "It'll be like a police escort. Just stay behind us."

"W-will do," Alphys nodded before turning to follow Toriel, Sans, and Frisk back to Papyrus's car.


	9. Chapter 9

At the hospital, Undyne and Papyrus were taken to separate rooms to be examined. Alphys went with her girlfriend, and the others went to find Papyrus. They apologized for not checking on Undyne first, but Alphys waved them off. "She won't be up-upset if you check on P-Papyrus first. J-just make sure he's okay."

Luckily, the doctor quickly diagnosed him with whiplash. "Normally it happens when the car is hit hard from behind, but generally it's an injury to the neck," they explained. "With humans, when the neck is rapidly moved forward or backwards, the muscles are strained, and the tendons and ligaments are stretched, if not torn. In your case, being a monster, I'm not entirely sure what happened. But the symptoms still point to it. What I'll have you do is wear a neck brace, just to keep your neck still so it can heal. And I'll speak to the monster pharmacists to see about getting you some pain meds."

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DOCTOR!" Papyrus smiled, trying to keep his head and shoulders still. "IS THIS NECK BRACE SIMILAR TO A CAST FOR A BROKEN BONE? WOULD I BE ABLE TO HAVE MY FRIENDS SIGN IT?"

"I'll see what I can do," the doctor chuckled as they exited the room.

"WOULDN'T THAT BE GRAND? TO BE ABLE TO SIGN AND DRAW ON MY CAST?"

"It would," Toriel nodded. "You're very good at making the most out of a bad situation."

Soon, the doctor returned with a thick, white brace. "Now, try not to move your head to look around. You'll have to settle with turning your shoulders for now. And try to remove it for an hour a couple of times a day to let your... bones relax, and let some fresh air in. Come back in a week, and I'll see how you're doing. And yes, your friends can sign and draw on it."

"thanks again, doc," Sans said. "i'll try to keep him under control."

Once the doctor was finished putting the brace on, Papyrus looked quite different. The brace wrapped thickly around his neck, fitting in with the style of his usual outift well. The doctor had to shave some of the material away to accommodate for his chin, so it too longer than usual. But he thought it looked really nice in the end. "We have some pens and markers at home," Toriel said as the group left the examination room, "so we'll be able to sign it later."

Before Papyrus could answer, he spotted someone he knew sitting in another examination room. "TRUMAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHAT HAPPENED?"

"Like, what happened to _you_?" he exclaimed. They were a big buff blue-green dragon monster with yellow eyes. Though he wore royal guard armor, his helmet was sitting on his lap.

"WHY, I WAS DRIVING MY NEW CAR, AND SOMEONE DROVE IN FRONT OF ME! THEY WERE RATHER RUDE, EVEN AFTER I MANAGED TO STOP BEFORE HITTING THEM. BUT I INJURED MY NECK! THE DOCTOR SAID IT WAS WHIPLASH!"

"Bummer," Truman groaned in sympathy.

"OH, DID YOU HEAR ABOUT UNDYNE?"

"No, what happened?"

He and Toriel explained about seeing the firetruck driving to her gym, and finding out about the fire. "Aw, crud! I _knew_ Antoine and I should'a gone to her gym! Heck, maybe then he wouldn't have..."

"Wouldn't have what? What happened?" Frisk asked, visibly growing nervous.

"Aw, it was awful, little dude," he groaned, rubbing behind one of his horns. "Antoine and I were at the library. Just, like, having a date, nothing too fancy. But then these humans... they started calling us all sorts of nasty names. Basically, they hated that not only were we monsters in the library, but, like, they hated that we were both guys in a relationship."

"That's horrible."

"Ha, that's not the worst of it," he scoffed. "Then, they started pelting us with books! We couldn't even get our helmets back on! Antoine was knocked out pretty quick; I had to get in front of him just so he wouldn't get beaten to a pulp."

"Are _you_ all right?" Toriel asked, already trying to glance to where he had been rubbing his head.

"Just got a bump on the head. Not too big of a deal," he shrugged. "But I had to drag Antoine outta there. It was a nightmare! Luckily, there were some monsters who called an ambulance. Thought it'd have to, like, carry him to the hospital myself!"

"IS HE ALL RIGHT?"

"He was still out cold when we got here, but the docs think he'll be fine. They said they don't get too many people killed by books."

As of on cue, the door to the room opened. In walked Antoine, with some bandages around his head and shoulder. He was a honey-colored rabbit monster with one blue eye and one green eye. He too was wearing his royal guard armor, and was carrying his helmet under his arm.

"Dude!" Truman exclaimed, jumping off of the bed. He cupped his boyfriend's face in his claws and continued, "Please don't scare me like that again!"

"I'm sorry, bro," he sighed, nudging his forehead against Truman's. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, bro."

"GREETINGS, ANTOINE!" Papyrus smiled. "I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU UP AND WALKING, AFTER ALL THAT TRUMAN TOLD US!"

"Papyrus? Like, dude, what happened to you?"

As the group went to find Undyne's room, they explained all that had transpired. By the time they found her and Alphys, Antoine had been brought up to speed, and was just as distraught as Truman had been.

Undyne was sitting on the examination bed, still looking disgruntled. The soot had been cleaned off of her body, and the doctor with her was just removing a needle that was at the end of a tube from her arm. Alphys was sitting in the chair against the wall. "Hey, dudes!" Undyne greeted the guards cheerfully. "Holy crap, what the hell happened to the two of you?"

"Hey, Undyne," Antoine waved. "Truman and I... let's just say our date didn't go as planned."

"Yeah, we had to, like, make a detour, I guess you could say," Truman added.

It didn't take too much explanation before Undyne was furious again. "Gaah! No offense, punk, but sometimes I just _hate_ humans!"

Frisk shook their head, looking just as frustrated. "Unfortunately, there will always be humans that are against us," Toriel sighed.

"sheesh, today's sure been a crummy day," Sans remarked, flopping into the chair next to Alphys. She nodded in agreement. "can't imagine it could get any worse."

Within a few minutes, there was the sound of shouting from outside the building. Undyne hopped off of the bed to look out the window. Her ears tilted down and her eyebrows furrowed as she deadpanned, "You just _had_ to say that, didn't you?"


	10. Chapter 10

Everyone clambered to the window to look outside. Out in front of the hospital, just a floor below where they were, a large crowd was forming. And it was made up completely of humans. Several of them were holding up large picket signs. The group realized when they looked close enough, they could see what the picket signs said: Anti-Monster Group. Humans Against Monsters. Not My Town, Not my Hospital, Not My Doctors. And though they couldn't hear individual voices, it wasn't hard to imagine what the crowd was shouting and screaming about.

"i really put my foot in my mouth, huh?" Sans remarked, only smirking a touch. "i wonder if i were to say if today was actually a good day, if they'd just disappear. what's the opposite of crummy?"

"Sans, this isn't funny," Toriel scolded. "How are we supposed to leave safely?"

"right, sorry."

Undyne suddenly shouted, "I see Asgore!"

"Asgore? What's he doing down there?" Toriel asked. She didn't sound irritated, as if she didn't want him in the same area as she was, but she did sound a little concerned.

Down on the ground, garbed in his usual royal attire, Asgore was slowly and carefully making his way to the hospital doors. But rather than going inside the building, he stood in front of the doors and faced the crowd. In one large paw was his trident; the other arm was held out as if to stop anyone from barging into the hospital.

"I dunno, but I don't like it! I'm coming, Asgore!" Undyne shouted. Summoning a large glowing blue spear in her fist, she took off down the hall. The two royal guards shoved their helmets on over their heads and charged after her.

"Undyne! Guys! Wait!" Alphys cried out, running after them, though she wasn't nearly as fast as they were. "Undyne, you a-a-and Antoine j-just got treated!"

"UNDYNE, WAIT FOR ME!" Papyrus made to go after the group, summoning a large white bone in each of his hands.

"aw, no, you don't!" Sans exclaimed, grabbing the back of his cape.

"I agree, Papyrus," Toriel added, grasping both of his arms. "Your neck is still injured. The doctor told you to not even turn your head. You could get even more injured down there!"

As Papyrus tried to protest, Sans said, "i'll head down there and see what i can do." Before anyone could argue against that, he snapped his fingers and disappeared with a blip and flash of blue and yellow.

* * *

He reappeared outside, right next to Asgore. The monster king barely flinched at his arrival. "s'up?" he greeted, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Need I ask why you're here?" Asgore asked in a whisper.

"let's just say it's been a bit of a day. what started _this_?"

"From what I gather, some people spotted Undyne and two of the royal guards being escorted into the hospital. They decided that was the last straw, and that they were going to do something about it. Or at least say something."

"sounds like usual business."

"Again, should I ask what happened to her and the guards?"

"i'll tell you later. right now, we should probably concentrate on this situation."

"Hey! Stop with the whispering!" one of the humans in the protesting crowd shouted.

"Why are you monsters here in the first place? You're taking up valuable resources meant for humans!"

"Yeah, humans need them more than monsters!"

"Monsters have their own healers! Go to _them_!"

The crowd began to chant, "This hospital is for humans! This hospital is for humans!"

"If I may have your attention, please?" Asgore asked. Though he had to raise his voice, he still sounded gentle. "Our healers aren't able to heal all injuries! We sometimes need to rely on human healers as well; you have far more advanced medicine and skills than we. But we aren't taking up any more resources than humans do, I assure you."

"not to mention there are monster healers working here too!" Sans added. "they're working with human doctors equally as hard!"

Rather than be placated, the crowd roared in a louder frenzy. They began to shout about how monsters shouldn't work with humans; that if they had less-advanced resources than humans, they weren't fit to heal humans.

"ehh, perhaps i said too much?" Sans groaned, tugging at the collar of his hoodie.

"They would have found that out, one way or another," Asgore sighed. "I should have chosen my words more carefully myself. I confess, I'm not use to speaking to such agitated crowds."

"none of us are."

Suddenly, there was a loud bang. People screamed and darted away, causing the crowd to fall apart; some cried out that someone had a gun. Sans looked around frantically for where the shot had gone. Once he saw where it went, his soul clenched with panic.

Asgore fell to one knee, clutching at the chest of his armor with one paw. His trident was laying on the ground next to him. He was trying to brace himself up with the other paw. He was groaning in pain. When he removed his paw, there was a dent in his armor; in the dent was a tiny hole.

Sans barely saw red before he was able to control himself. He darted in front of Asgore and raised his hands up, spreading his fingers apart. A wall of blue and white bones rose out of the ground in front of him. Some people tried to throw rocks at the wall, only for them to bounce off harmlessly. One person tried to punch it, and groaned in pain and clutched their fist.

To his right, he saw humans running at him. He moved one arm to swipe at them. They flew back with surprised yells. While he was distracted, someone charged at him, brandishing a weapon. He barely had time to jump back before they swiped at him. He realized, with horror, it was a knife.

But it slashed through only his hoodie, and broke something in his clothes with a shatter, barely missing his rib cage. He raised his right arm again and pushed his hand out. The human flew back onto the sidewalk. Their knife sailed through the air and fell harmlessly to the ground.

Sans fell on his backside, completely winded. When he looked down at his chest, he sighed with relief. There was thick red liquid leaking through the slash in his hoodie, and a few pieces of glass fell onto his lap and the ground. His soul was still intact.

"aw, man," he bemoaned, "i was saving that ketchup for later."


	11. Chapter 11

Behind Asgore, who was now slowly rising to his feet, Undyne burst through the doors. Though she was no longer brandishing her spear, she was practically foaming at the mouth. "All right, show's over!" she snarled. "Back off, all of you!" She grabbed Sans by the back of the hood, Asgore by one of his pauldrons, and yanked them both into the hospital.

Antoine and Truman pushed both doors shut before the crowd could follow them in. They braced themselves against both doors as the humans pounded on the glass, shouting. Eventually, several security guards, consisting of humans and monsters, charged into the lobby and locked the doors.

While the two royal guards stayed behind to help security, Undyne continued to drag Asgore by the arm deeper into the hospital. She was now holding Sans under one arm like a football. "Hey, we got two monsters injured! Someone get a doctor, stat!"

It didn't take long for a few doctors to run out, pushing a gurney that was, by some miracle, big enough for Asgore. As they helped him onto the gurney, Toriel, Papyrus, and Alphys came running up; Frisk was in their mother's arms.

"Oh my, what happened?" Toriel gasped upon seeing the dent in Asgore's armor.

"he got shot," Sans answered, still being carried by Undyne, who was either ignoring the ketchup dripping down her arm, or didn't realize it.

Her eyes glistened with tears as she stared down at him. "You... you silly monster!" she scolded, still looking worried.

"Aw, Tori," he cooed as he was being carted away, "I didn't think you still cared."

He was gone before she could give an answer. She stammered in a flustered frenzy as her cheeks flushed with color. Despite the current situation, Frisk snickered in her arms.

The group were ushered to the waiting room as Undyne carted off Sans after Asgore. He tried to say he was fine, and that the only casualty was his ketchup bottle, but he was ignored. Papyrus tried to go after them, but was barred at the door. "It'll be a-all right, Papyrus," Alphys comforted him. "If he's right i-in that he wasn't seriously injured, h-he'll be out in no time."

"... YES, YOU ARE RIGHT," he sighed, sitting in the chair next to Toriel. He tried to cup his jaw in his hands, but let his arms fall when he realized he still had his brace on. His eyes brightened. "WOULD YOU ALL LIKE TO SIGN MY BRACE?"

Glad for the distraction, Toriel asked an employee for markers and pens. Not only did they bring those, but they also brought some sketchbooks and coloring books. Frisk and Alphys immediately set off to signing Papyrus's neck brace; even Antoine and Truman came over to leave their signatures. "The human cops came over," Antoine remarked.

"Yeah, they came pretty fast," Truman added.

"Is the crowd gone now?" Toriel asked.

"Not yet. They're still, like, pretty mad."

"Even more mad that the cops came."

"They started shouting even more, like how the cops were against the wrong people, and that the monsters were the troublemakers."

She shook her head with a sigh. "How is it when someone causes such a fuss, that when they get into trouble, they try to blame their target? As if it was their fault for getting bullied."

"Yeah, it's pretty messed up," Truman groaned as he sat back in chair. Antoine sat next to him, holding his hand in his paw. "I'm pretty surprise that the cops showed up."

"At least they'll be breaking up the crowd, so that we'll be able to go home soon."

"Has M.W. c-called about Ginny?" Alphys asked.

Toriel checked her phone, and shook her head. "Nothing. I can only hope no news is good news, but it still makes me nervous."

"Who's Ginny?" Antoine asked.

"My big sister," Frisk answered with a bit smile. "We found her a few days ago!"

"All right, little dude!" Truman cheered, ruffling their hair. "You must have been, like, so stoked!"

"Yes, we were all happy," Toriel nodded. "But she was in an accident yesterday. She fell and hit her head."

"Ouch," Antoine winced, fingering at the bandages around his own head. "She okay?"

"She's still alive. But she hasn't woken up yet. If she's still unconscious when we get home, I may bring her back here, just to make sure nothing's seriously wrong."

"I-I'm sorry I can't be of any help," Alphys said, removing her glasses and cleaning the lenses with her shirt. It was black with a pink anime character on the front.

"No, it's no trouble, Alphys. General scientific work is different than medical science."

"Still, I-I wish I could have been there. M-maybe I would have thought of something."

"Try not to think too much of the 'what-ifs'. It'll only make you feel worse. Believe me."

* * *

It was another ten minutes, with Frisk and Papyrus drawing and making up puzzles to entertain themselves, before Sans and Undyne finally walked into the waiting room. Papyrus leaped to his feet, but Toriel managed to hold him back before hurt himself trying to run to Sans. Frisk, however, ran right up to hug him. "oof, hello to you too, kiddo," he chuckled.

"How are you feeling?" Toriel asked as he walked up to them, holding Frisk's hand.

"barely a scratch," he boasted, patting his stomach. His hoodie had been stitched up, though the ketchup stains remained. "they said i can go home. i'm just sad i'll be missing out on the hospital bed. it's actually nice and comfy; and adjustable."

"YOU HAVE A PERFECTLY GOOD BED AT HOME!" Papyrus scolded him, though he barely appeared angry.

"What about Asgore?" Toriel asked.

"They said he'll have to stay overnight," Undyne answered, pausing to hug and kiss Alphys. "Luckily, the bullet was slowed down a lot by his armor, so he wasn't _seriously_ injured."

"Will I... will I be able to speak with him before we leave?" Toriel asked.

"You'll have to ask one of the guys that work here," she shrugged.

"UNDYNE! WOULD YOU LIKE TO SIGN MY NECK BRACE?" Papyrus asked as Toriel left the room.

"Heck yeah! Where's a pen?"

A few minutes later, after both Undyne and Sans had signed Papryus's brace, Toriel came back into the room. One of the security officers approached them. "The crowd's gone now. So, you can all head back home."

"Thank you," Toriel nodded. She turned to the others. "Well, shall we? It has been such a long and hectic day."

"I'll have to call a taxi to get us back to the gym," Undyne remarked. "My car's still there. Hopefully nobody's keyed it," she growled under her breath.

"G-goodbye to you all," Alphys waved as she and the royal guards followed Undyne. "Hopefully t-tomorrow turns out a-a lot better."

"You and I both, Alphys," Toriel sighed as they all left the hospital. Though the parking lot was empty, there were pieces of picket signs and trash laying out and about. "The only issue is how are _we_ going to get home?"

"I'LL DRIVE!"

"Papyrus, you're injured-"

"-I'LL BE CAREFUL! I'LL TAKE THE UPMOST OF CAUTION! I PROMISE!"

"Well... I suppose we have no other choice. But as soon as I can, I _will_ be getting _my_ driver's license. Especially with winter coming. It won't do any of us any good to walk everywhere in the snow."

Papryus kept his promise of driving as carefully as he could. When he pulled up to Toriel and Frisk's house, he asked, "WOULD SANS AND I BE ABLE TO COME IN? JUST TO VISIT GINNY?"

"If it's all right with Sans, it's all right with me," she said; Frisk nodded in agreement.

"might as well," he shrugged.

As soon as Toriel unlocked and opened the door, they realized something was very wrong. M.W. came running down the hallway, looking like she had seen a ghost. "Oh, thank goodness you're back!" she exclaimed, panting heavily.

"Slow down!" Toriel urged her, gently clasping where her shoulders would be. "What's the matter?"

"I-it's Ginny! I came into the room, and... she's gone! I can't find her!"


	12. Chapter 12

Everyone's eyes widened. Toriel was the first to run to the guest room. Frisk was right after her. Then Papryus, and then Sans. M.W. followed after them as well.

The guest bedroom was, indeed, completely empty. The bed's blankets were pushed aside, and the dent in the pillow remained. The window nearest to the bed was opened a crack, as opposed to being completely shut as Toriel had left it.

"How long has she been gone?" Toriel asked, still looking around the room.

"I-I don't know!" M.W. exclaimed. Tears were streaming down her face, and she still looked panicked. "I checked on her about ten minutes ago, and th-the room was empty! I've been searching throughout the entire house s-since then, and I couldn't find her! I'm sorry, Toriel! You trusted me to watch her, and I couldn't even do that! I'm so, so sorry!"

"M.W., it's not your fault," she said, trying to sound soothing. But she could still hear the panic in her own voice. "You couldn't have known what would have happened." She laid a paw on her back and rubbed comforting circles against her dress. "How about you go home? It's been a hectic day for all of us, and worrying won't bring her back. First thing in the morning, I'll go down to the police station and report her missing. Then, we'll go around town and try to find her. For now, you go home and try to relax."

M.W. wiped her nose with a tissue Frisk offered, and nodded. "O-okay, I'll try my b-best." After apologizing, yet again, she left the house.

As soon as the front door was shut, Toriel rubbed her paws over her eyes with a groan. "Ohh, won't this day bring something happy and peaceful?"

"hey, tori?" Sans said. "paps and i will bring your bags into the house. and tomorrow, we'll call undyne and alphys. we'll find her."

"YES, I'LL ROUND UP A SEARCH PARTY!" Papyrus declared, already heading out of the house and to his car.

"Thank you, both," she said with a watery smile.

Frisk nodded in agreement, glancing at the guest bedroom as if Ginny would appear in the doorway. Though they didn't know too much about head injuries, they couldn't help but worry that she was in trouble while she was alone. They could only hope that they would find her before something worse happened to her.

They remained deep in worry long after Sans and Papyrus brought in their shopping bags, wished them a goodnight, and promised, yet again, they would help try to find Ginny. "I'm sorry, my child." Toriel sighed as she tucked Frisk into bed.

At their questioning expression, she continued, "I can't help but feel this is my fault. I had set her off, albeit unintentionally, and that caused her to run and get injured in the first place."

Frisk shook their head and hugged her as tight as they could. No words were needed; they didn't blame Toriel for anything. She finally smiled as she hugged them back.

* * *

The following day, as soon as they were free from their respective jobs, Undyne and Alphys were walking about town, looking around and calling out for Ginny. Papyrus had notified them and several others, via text group messages, that she had disappeared the previous night. Various pairs were sent out—Sans and Papyrus, the royal guards, and Undyne and Alphys themselves, to name a few—to look for her.

Toriel had already gone and reported her missing at the police station. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to be taking her case seriously, whether it was because she was a monster reporting a missing human, the fact that Ginny was above the age of eighteen and thus considered not as important of a case as a child, or both. They claimed they would do their best to try to find her, but Toriel wasn't holding her breath. Various cases of human police not taking monster matters as serious as human matters had soured her opinion of them.

"Any ideas of where to start?" Undyne asked. "I mean, we barely know anything about her."

"D-did she say if she had a job? Maybe we c-could check there? At least ask i-if she's been around today?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea, Alphy," Undyne grinned. "I think... I think Toriel might've said she worked at some restaurant? Shouldn't be that hard. How many restaurants are there in town?"

"According to this map," Alphys said, bringing up the map app on her phone and typing out 'restaurant' in the search bar, "there are... s-six restaurants."

"Cool! Shouldn't take too long to go in each one and ask 'hey, does a girl called Ginny work here?'."

"Undyne, it would be ea-easier if we knew more details a-about the restaurant. There's a pizza r-restaurant, a su-sushi restaurant, a burger rest-"

"-burger restaurant! Toriel said it was a burger joint! Where's it at?" Undyne asked, seeming to not notice she made Alphys jump at her sudden interruption.

She fixed her glasses and pressed on the burger restaurant's name. "I-it's actually not far from here! And," she giggled, "it actually _i-is_ called The Burger Joint."

"I'm a psychic!" Undyne exclaimed, gleefully throwing both fists into the air. "I'mma make a prediction that we'll find her there!"

"W-we can only hope."

After following the directions on Alphys's map app, they found The Burger Joint. It was a brown single-story restaurant, with a tan roof and foundation, green windows, and a yellow double-door.

"They made the building itself look like a burger?" Undyne asked, raising an eyebrow. "... Have I mentioned that humans are so weird?"

"Y-you can't fault them f-for having imagination."

"I suppose. Say, did Ginny ever say what she did at her job? Like, is she a waitress or something?"

"Toriel said she didn't w-want to disclose... o-or maybe she wasn't allowed to? I-I can't recall." They both shrugged as they stepped inside.

Only a few steps into the door, there was a podium. Standing on the other side of the podium was a human, obviously dressed in a work uniform for the restaurant. "Hi, welcome to The Burger Joint," they smiled. "Table for two?"

"Actually, we need to ask you guys something," Undyne said, leaning one forearm against the podium. "Do you guys have a girl here called Ginny? Reddish hair, brown eyes, kinda quiet?"

"Ginny? I... we... I'll have to bring the manager out to speak with you. Is that all right?"

"Y-yes, that's fine," Alphys nodded before Undyne could reply.

"Why would they be so awkward about us asking if someone worked here?" Undyne huffed, turning to lean back against the podium.

"Maybe th-they're not allowed to disclose who works here? A-and the manager has to say something?"

"I guess." She crossed her arms and muttered, "They're just making finding her a lot harder than it needs to be."

Before Alphys could reply, the previous employee returned, with another human with them. This human wore a similar uniform, but had a large badge that specified that they were the manager. "Hello, I understand you have a question about one of our employees?" they asked, adjusting a small sign that was sitting on the podium.

Alphys frowned thoughtfully when she realized it said 'We have the right to reserve service to anyone'. She could only wonder if that sign was always a thing, or if it had been recently put out.

"Yeah," Undyne answered, turning back around. She either didn't see the sign, or chose to ignore it. "We're looking for a friend, Ginny. Reddish h-"

"-I know who Ginny was," the manager interrupted, drumming their fingers on the podium. "Have they caused any customers you know any trouble previously?"

"Wh-no!" Alphys protested. "W-were just l-looking for her, is a-all!"

"Wait, you said 'was' and 'previously'," Undyne pointed out. "Does she not work here anymore?"

"No, she was fired just this morning," the manager answered without a hint of tact or sympathy.

"Fired? Why? What happened?"

"Not that it's much of _your_ business, but she didn't come into work the previous day. Her position was one that required the utmost in attendance, but she apparently failed to remember that."

"She was injured and in a coma!" Undyne protested, crossing her arms tighter.

"Apparently, she was well enough to try and come in today," the manager shrugged. "But that's not the sole reason we let her go. All throughout her time here, she couldn't keep her mind on the job. She was always looking out the door and at the customers, any chance she got. She claimed to be looking for someone. Well, now she has all the time in the world to find them. Now that _that's_ been straightened out, is there anything else you two need?"

"N-no, thank you," Alphys smiled uneasily as Undyne pulled them out the door by the arm, growling.

"Well, _that_ was a waste of time and energy!" she shouted, throwing her arms up into the air. "And they were such a dick! Did you see that sign they were messing with?"

"I-I did," she sighed. "And we're n-nowhere closer to e-even finding a lead th-than when we walked in."

Undyne's ears perked back at a sound. When she whipped her head around, she saw a human peeking around the corner of the restaurant. Hissing, they beckoned both monsters to follow them into an alley.

"What is it?" Alphys asked.

"Not sure. But stay close, in case they want to try something," she answered. They both walked to the alley the human had ducked into, but she stopped at the entrance. Holding Alphys closer to her with one arm, she yelled out, "All right, buddy, this is as far as we'll go! If you have something to say, you can come to _us_!"

The human shrugged and approached them, stopping at a respectable distance. They were a dark-skinned human with long black hair in tangled clumps, though more uniform and neat than Ginny's, and were dressed in the restaurant's uniform. Between his first two fingers was an unlit cigarette. "I don't have much time, they think I'm on a smoke break," he said, pocketing it.

"What do you want?"

"You two said you're looking for Ginny? She _did_ say she was in a coma for a day; that true?"

"Y-yes, it is," Alphys nodded, nudging Undyne's arm to loosen her grip. "She h-hit her head and f-fell unconscious two days a-ago. Sh-she went missing late y-yesterday evening."

Nodding, the employee continued, "I called you back here because I wanted to tell you the whole story. Ginny's a nice girl, and since you two are looking for her, and don't seem to be malicious, I want to help you find her in any way I can. See, Ginny worked here as the garbage woman."

"What's that mean?" Undyne asked in confusion.

"It means she gathered up all the trash in the restaurant and took it to the dumpsters out back," he explained, jutting a thumb in the direction of the restaurant. "Because of her position, though, the boss told her she couldn't be seen by the customers."

"What, why? What was there for them to be ashamed about? Lots of people _and_ monsters take their trash out."

"I dunno," he shrugged. "Boss never specified. Closest answer any of us, including Ginny, ever got was because she was 'just the garbage woman'," he quoted in a snarky tone, curling his lip in disgust. "But I think it's also because whenever she came in, her clothes... not to be rude, but they weren't in the best conditions."

"Why didn't she get a uniform?" Alphys asked.

"I asked the boss that once. Apparently, since Ginny was only the garbage woman, it wasn't worth spending extra money to get her a uniform that she would only get dirty. That don't make much sense, to me," he mumbled.

"They said Ginny couldn't keep her mind on the job. What's that really mean?"

"They said she acted like she was looking for someone? That's right on the tin. She was always looking through the doors at the customers, any opportunity she could get. But she was especially looking at the kids. I asked her about that once, and she said she was looking for someone. A little sibling, I think? But she never really asked for much help. Anyway, missing a whole day of work, regardless of what happened, was the last straw. I think the boss was just looking for any excuse to fire her, though. Don't let them hear that I said that though."

"D-do you know where she might be? Where she l-lives?"

"No, I don't know," he shrugged. "She wasn't very talkative, especially about her personal life. Her looking for a sibling was the closest to a personal life fact she ever said."

Alphys took out her phone and turned it on. "I-I'd like to give you my number, i-in case you find Ginny," she offered. She glanced up at Undyne.

"Yeah, mine too," she nodded with a small sigh.

The three of them exchanged phone numbers. "I'm sorry I couldn't be any more help," they said. "But I wish you the best of luck in finding her. Even though she's quiet and mousy, she seems like a nice girl." He glanced at his watch and winced. "I gotta get back to work! See ya." He waved back at them as he jogged back to the restaurant.

"... I guess that was _something_ ," Undyne shrugged.

"It w-wasn't anything much to go by, but at l-least we know more about Ginny," Alphys pointed out.

"Yeah, that she was hiding stuff. Question is, what else is she hiding?"


	13. Chapter 13

It was the following day when there was more added to the mystery of Ginny. Undyne and Alphys had spread the word about her former job to the rest of the monsters searching for her. Toriel pointed out that with the information, they had a few less places to look for Ginny. So it didn't completely go to waste.

Sans and Papyrus were wandering the sidewalks of town, looking around for her. Several of their other friends had signed Papyrus's neck brace, turning it from white to several different colors. "YOU THINK I'D BE ABLE TO HAVE METTATON SIGN IT?" Papyrus asked Sans, his eyes sparkling with the possibility.

"if you're able to ask him, he'd probably be more than happy to," Sans answered. "he'll sign anything that stands still enough, after all."

"TRUE! THOUGH, I'D PROBABLY BE SO JITTERY WITH EXCITEMENT, I'D BARELY BE ABLE TO STAND STILL!"

"oh, i forgot to mention, but asgore was able to go home today."

"AH, THAT IS FANTASTIC! SO, THE INJURY WASN'T TOO SEVERE?"

"it was probably enough that he had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. but apparently, he healed enough that he was sent home. good thing too. apparently, flowey was able to escape his pot while asgore was gone, but didn't go far before he was accidentally run over by a neighbor's lawnmower."

"OH, MY GOODNESS! I DO HOPE HE'S ALL RIGHT!"

"it's kinda funny to think about," Sans chuckled, imagining how the nasty flower looked: dirty and disheveled, with crinkled roots and chopped petals.

"SANS, IT'S NOT NICE TO THINK OF SOMEONE'S PAIN AS FUNNY!" Papryus scolded.

"guess he wish he stayed _planted_ where he was."

"IT'S STILL NOT FUNNY!"

Sans rolled his eyes as Papyrus continued to lecture him, still smiling lazily. When he casually glanced behind his brother, his eyes widened when he saw three familiar girls. "hold the phone, paps," he interrupted, holding up a hand. "see those girls?"

Papyrus turned his whole body around to look where Sans was pointing. "THOSE THREE GIRLS? YES, I DO. WHAT ABOUT THEM?"

"i saw those girls that day that ginny fell. they were with her on the bridge."

"AH, I SEE WHERE YOU ARE GETTING AT! MAYBE THEY KNOW WHERE SHE MIGHT BE?"

"if they're friends with her, they'll probably have an idea."

Papyrus followed Sans as he approached the girls. They were walking down the sidewalk, chatting among themselves and smacking bubblegum. In the crooks of their arms were shopping bags, and one girl was holding a clear cup full of coffee. They stopped dead in their tracks when Sans said, "s'up, girls?"

"What do you want?" one girl sneered. She had shoulder-length brown hair and pale skin.

"we just wanna ask you a couple of questions," he answered, ignoring her rudeness. The other two girls were looking at them as well with a mix of interest and contempt.

"YES, WE ARE LOOKING FOR A FRIEND OF OURS! GINNY, IS HER NAME. WOULD YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW WHERE SHE IS?"

All three girls stared at them with blank expressions. Papyrus glanced down at Sans, fiddling with his gloves, and continued, "ER, SHE HAS REDDISH-BROWN HAIR, SOMEWHAT DARK SKIN, AND WEARS A LONG BLACK COAT! AND SHE'S SOMEWHAT SHY, BUT REALLY NICE! THREE DAYS AGO, SHE FELL OFF OF A BRIDGE AND HURT HER HEAD. MY BROTHER TOOK HER TO HER SIBLING'S HOUSE, WHERE SHE SLEPT FOR THE WHOLE DAY; BUT THE EVENING BEFORE YESTERDAY, SHE DISAPPEARED!"

Once he had mentioned her accident, one of the girl's eyes widened. She clutched at her coffee cup with both hands and stared down at it, looking nervous and guilty. She had pale skin, even paler than the girl that had previously spoke, and short red hair.

" _Why_ does this concern any of us?" the brunette, who seemed to be the leader of their clique, asked.

"because that day she got hurt, i saw you girls with her on the bridge. i figured, as her friends, you girls would know where she might be." _or at the very least, be concerned about her._

The brunette suddenly threw her head back with a loud guffaw. "Friends? We're not friends with _her_!"

"Yeah, like, why would we want to be even associated with a homeless girl?" the third girl snorted. She had long black hair and tanned skin.

Sans and Papyrus glanced at each other with wide eyes. "H-HOMELESS? ARE YOU SURE?"

"Why else would she be standing or sitting on the corners of streets? Or randomly in the parks? Heck, she's got signs and buckets with her, begging for money."

"Her clothes are always filthy too," the tanned girl added, wrinkling her nose as if she smelled something nasty.

"She needs to get a job, like a normal person," the brunette sneered. "And not be loitering around."

"I thought she works at The Burger Joint?" the redhead finally asked. "I've seen her there once. She was taking the trash out the back."

"Taking the trash out?" the brunette and tanned girl both laughed loudly. "That's the best she could do?"

"Maybe that was the only job she could get; she already looked like a garbage person."

"all right, if you girls aren't friends with ginny, why were you talking to her on the bridge that day?" Sans asked, quickly growing fed up with them. "and when she didn't get up after falling, why did you just run away?"

"We was just talking," the tanned girl shrugged. "She was the clumsy one who fell. Maybe she threw herself over the railing?"

"She didn't do that! And she didn't fall either!" the redhead shouted, having the decency to look appalled. "Muffy _pushed_ her!"

Suddenly, the brunette slapped the redhead across the face as hard as she could. She nearly fell over as her coffee cup flew out of her hand and exploded on the ground. Even the tanned girl looked startled. "Shut up, Madison!" she snarled.

Sans and Papyrus were completely shocked. Obviously, the girl being loudly slapped was startling. But that paled in comparison to learning just how Ginny had been injured. "you... pushed her? why would you push her?"

Finally realizing she had been caught, the brunette, evidently Muffy, shrugged, "She was annoying me."

"Yeah, she shouldn't have been, like, so rude to us," the tanned girl nodded. Madison remained quiet, nursing her red cheek.

"THAT WAS NO EXCUSE!" Papyrus snapped, furrowing his eyebrows. "I DON'T CARE IF GINNY WAS RUDE TO YOU! THAT DIDN'T MEAN SHE DESERVED TO BE HURT! I KNOW GINNY! SHE WOULDN'T BE RUDE ON PURPOSE! WHY, I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF IT WAS _YOU_ BEING RUDE! AFTER ALL, YOU WERE BEING RUDE TO _US_! JUST BECAUSE SHE'S NOT THE SAME AS YOU, IT DOESN'T MEAN SHE DESERVES TO BE BULLIED! YOU SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!"

Sans and the three girls were all stunned into silence. Sans had rarely heard his brother scold someone so harshly.

The girls, however, didn't all seem to take the scolding to heart. Muffy simply rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Whatever." As she walked away, pushing through Sans and Papyrus, she muttered something about bleeding hearts under her breath. The tanned girl followed after, sticking her nose in the air with a humph.

Madison was the only one who looked remotely ashamed. She paused as she followed after her friends, and looked over her shoulder at the monsters. Her hands were shaking as she opened her mouth to say something.

"Madison, let's _go_!" the tanned girl yelled back.

"C-coming, Megan!" Madison squeaked, taking off after the other two girls. Her coffee cup laid on the sidewalk where it had fallen, the only reminder of the girls previously being there.

Sans stared after the humans. Papyrus finally released his clenched fists with a sigh. "i never seen you be so stern. you okay?"

"...I'M ALL RIGHT," he said, quieter than usual. "I'M JUST DISAPPOINTED."


	14. Chapter 14

It was another two days later when the search finally came to a conclusion. Sans and Papyrus definitely had the biggest breakthrough in the search, though it was also the most heartbreaking. It was understandable why Ginny would keep her homelessness a secret. And it also made sense as to why she was so secretive about her home, and why her clothes and general appearance wasn't always the best.

But it also made the search for her harder, since she could be living anywhere in town. Maybe even outside of town. But the monsters were determined not to give up. Frisk wanted to go out and look for her themselves, but Toriel only allowed them to if they were with her or someone else. "I don't want to lose you too," she had said.

On the day the search was ended, Asgore and Alphys were visiting Muffet, who was still getting her tea parlor set up. Among the usual prejudice against monsters problem, another problem she had been dealing with was the fact that most humans were afraid of, or outright disliked spiders. But she was confident that her parlor would, one day, see the light.

Asgore had been doing all he could to ensure that monsters, including Muffet, were able to get their businesses up and running again. Grillby had easier success, though him being a fire elemental still gave him trouble. But once he showed that he could control it, and his diner was proven to gave off a warm and fuzzy feeling overall, it didn't take long for him to be up and going.

"You're sure you're all right?" Asgore asked Muffet. "From what I heard, after all, you took a pretty hard hit." While her parlor was being stocked with pots, pans, and utensils, one of the humans had been startled by Muffet popping in, and had swung out the frying pan they were holding. She still had some bandages wrapped around her head, with one of her pigtails sticking out.

"Of course, dearie," she smiled. "The poor human is still beside themselves, apologizing for the accident at every opportunity. But, as I tell them as well, I'm fine now. There's barely a bump, in fact."

"Well, if you're completely sure."

"You are too sweet, Asgore. I already have that human worrying themselves to death, don't you do that too. Which reminds me, if I, or one of my spiders, see or hear anything of this human you are looking for, you'll be the first to know."

"Thank you, Muffet."

Alphys waved back at the spider monster and followed Asgore out onto the sidewalk. Since he took up nearly the whole path, she was forced to walk a little in front of him, though she still stayed close to one side. "S-still nothing about Ginny?"

"No," he sighed. "I will admit, she is quite the elusive one. Whether she's doing it on purpose, or if she doesn't realize it. I wish we had something more to go off of; any sort of clue."

"Well... P-Papyrus _did_ say he found her on a bridge. He accidentally s-startled her, and had to c-catch her when she fell. K-kinda ironic, since sh-she got injured falling off of a b-bridge as well."

Asgore hummed in thought as they continued on. His ears perked up when he spotted a bridge some distance away. "Alphys... was the bridge Ginny was injured at the same bridge Papyrus found her on?"

"... Yes, it was. Wh-why do you ask?"

As she asked that, he began walking faster towards the bridge, accidentally bumping Alphys to the side. She pushed her glasses up her nose and ran to catch up to him. "A-Asgore?"

"Don't you think it's more of a coincidence, than irony, that she was at the same bridge when she was first found, and when she was injured?" he asked. "Or is there something more to it? What if the bridge is the clue we've been looking for? The piece to the puzzle, as it were?"

"I-it certainly wouldn't hurt to look," Alphys admitted. "B-but I don't see her on th-the bridge."

They stopped on the hill before the ground dipped into the concrete canal below the bridge. "Maybe we shouldn't be looking _on_ the bridge... but rather _below_ it," Asgore pointed out.

"In that c-case, you go on d-down there. I'll s-stay up here, in case she _is_ d-down there, so she's not s-scared off."

"Do you think that could happen?"

"G-Ginny reminds me of m-myself. I know I've only kn-known her for a day, b-but she really does. We're b-both reserved in personality, a-and tend to k-keep things hidden." She was twiddling her fingers as she spoke, remembering the secrets she herself had kept.

"If you think that would be best, I'll go on alone. I'll try not to take too lo-"

"-no, t-take your time. Trust me."

Nodding, Asgore carefully scaled down the hill and walked to the bridge. Despite there being no river of any kind, there was a drain in the middle of the concrete; on either side were large tunnels leading under and parallel to the bridge, barely big enough for him to stand inside of. He looked in the right-side tunnel, but saw nothing, save for moss and rocks.

But when he looked in the left-side tunnel, he saw someone sitting inside, hugging their knees to their chest and bowing their head down. Around them were several objects and pieces of trash, mostly food wrappings and empty bottles.

When the human lifted their head, their narrow dark-brown eyes were sad. Their dirty skin had clean streaks as if tears had run down their cheeks, and their auburn hair was tangled in thick chunks of varying sizes. Their eyes widened with surprise, but they said nothing.

"... Ginny?" Asgore asked as gently and quietly as he could. He crouched down in front of the opening of the tunnel, but didn't block it completely; he didn't want her to feel trapped and scared.

"... How did you know where I'd be?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"I'll admit, it was a hunch I thought of only minutes ago," he said. "But... what happened? Why did you run away? And so soon after you woke up?"

She shrugged. "I didn't think anyone would notice."

"We did." He tried to be soft with his answer, not wanting to sound accusatory or scolding. "We were worried about you. We looked for you all over town."

Upon hearing this, more tears began to grow in the corners of her eyes. Her cheeks and nose began to redden, and she sniffled as she hugged her knees tighter.

"Ginny, talk to me, please. What happened?"

"... Did you hear about what I did? Before I got injured? What I said?"

"I did. But that doesn't mean we don't want you safe. We do. I know we barely know you, but... you have monsters who care about you."

"... Can I... can I explain why I said what I said?"

"I'm not the one to be explained to."

"I know. But... I still want to get my thoughts out now. And I just want anyone to talk to who won't hurt or belittle me. Only listen."

"... All right. Go on."

She wiped at her eyes and cleared her throat, finally letting her legs relax. "As you probably know, I've been spending the last four years working to adopt Frisk. I lived with them at the orphanage until I turned eighteen; I was... expelled, they called it. But because I didn't have a job, a home, or very much money in general, I couldn't take them with me. All the time I've been working, I've been extra scared of losing Frisk, because when I was at the orphanage with them, and they would try to adopt us out, or at least get us into foster homes. They didn't care about keeping us together. Frisk would be taken by one family, or I would be taken by one, or we would go and be separated at the same time. Each time, we put up a fuss until we were returned."

"Toriel said you had said most of that before. Maybe with not that much detail, but to that effect."

"I know. But... I figured it'd be a good idea to get it out calmly, rather than screaming. Besides, that was pretty much why I blew up... that, and I was jealous."

"Jealous? Of what?"

"Two things. I was jealous that Toriel was able to even talk to the orphanage about adopting Frisk, and that she was given a chance. I know circumstances are really hard for monsters, and that it's good that they're being considered for being adopters. But... it still really hurt that me, as their sister, was never given a chance. I know I didn't have the resources, and still really don't, but still. And it... it makes me feel like I failed Frisk, as a sister. As family; as someone who's supposed to take care of them, since Mom and Dad are gone." She covered her face with her hands as she began to cry.

Asgore opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get it out, she let out a hard sniff and continued, "But I was also jealous of Frisk! B-because they—I've seen how the monsters are with them. Even when they thought of humans as their enemy, and had to harvest their souls to get freed, they still treated them so kindly! Kinder than any human they or I ever met. Frisk told me everything they experienced down in the underground; everyone they met. And they... they were like a big family. I want that too! I want a family again. But... I don't deserve that. Not after everything I said. And after I lied. I'm just a big jerk, and a big liar!"

Asgore smiled kindly. "I disagree."

She lifted her head from her hands. "Huh?"

He took her hands in his huge paws and stood up, slowly standing her up as well. "Ginny, you _do_ deserve a family. Yes, you lied. But you know it was wrong, and you're obviously sorry. They'll forgive you. My dear, we've all been worried about you. We've been looking for you, and we haven't given up on you. If you come home with us, and explain to them what you explained to me, they'll understand. And Toriel will be more than happy to take you in."

"Even after all I said?" she asked, rubbing her face against her shoulder. "How I was such a jerk?"

"Of course! After all, that was the plan from the beginning."

"... What?"

"It's not my place to say, but I think circumstances warrant it. That's why Papyrus was so excited that he had found you. Once we were freed from the underground, Frisk told us they had an older sister; a sister who was kind, caring, and loved them. They wanted us to take you into the family as well. Toriel said she would be more than happy to as well."

Ginny looked up at him, stunned. It seemed like this had never occurred to her, that the monsters were looking for her even before she met Papyrus. And that they wanted her in the family as well. And still did, even after everything she said, and had lied about. It was almost too much to bear.

She looked down at the ground. Then, sniffling, she let her head fall forward against Asgore's stomach. He blinked in surprise, but then smiled warmly. Staying quiet, he laid a big paw over her back. She began to cry again, and huddled closer. He held her close with both arms, and felt her wrap hers around him as well.

After a few minutes, he asked, "Do you want to go back now? Or do you want to wait a few minutes?"

"... Can you help me pack my stuff?" she asked quietly, muffled by his shirt.

"Of course."

Once he let her go, she turned around to face the tunnel. She grabbed a red and cream patchwork quilt, which looked like it had some burns on it. He helped her spread it flat on the ground, and she began piling stuff in the middle of it: a dark-teal hooded sweatshirt, a picture frame with slightly-cracked glass—he recognized a younger Ginny and baby Frisk in the picture—several pairs of mismatched and holey socks, a round water canteen, a few dogeared books, and a large, old purse that jingled and crinkled with coins and paper money.

He folded the corners of the blanket over the objects, and tied them up tight. He grabbed the 'bag' up by the knots with one paw, and stood up. He held out his other paw, which Ginny took, and helped her to her feet again.

Once they walked out into the sunshine, he saw that Alphys was sitting up the hill and on the grass, playing with her phone. She spotted them approaching over the device, nearly dropping it. "You found her!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

"Yes. I do apologize for the wait, but we were talking."

"Oh, n-no! No need for a-apologies!" She backed away as Asgore lifted Ginny up onto the hill, and then climbed up himself. "So... wh-where to now?"

"Toriel's house," he answered, still holding the tied up quilt. "It'll be there that Ginny will explain everything."

She nodded as she held onto a fold in the quilt, almost seeming worried about it disappearing. When she looked to her right, she saw Alphys holding out her own hand, smiling kindly. She returned it, and took her hand as they began to walk.


	15. Chapter 15

Asgore knocked on the door before pushing it open. "Toriel? It's me and Alphys. We found her!" he called out.

There was a loud gasp, and Ginny was suddenly enveloped in warm, white fur, and the scent of cinnamon and butterscotch. She hesitantly hugged her back, feeling her heart clench. Even Toriel's hugs felt motherly, something she hadn't felt in so many years. And Asgore's pats and kind words reminded her of when her father would do similar things.

"Oh, my dear child!" Toriel whispered, kissing Ginny's temple before backing up. "We were all so worried about you!" She gently turned her head to the side to examine the back of it. "How are you feeling? Is your head all right? Do you remember everything?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Toriel. I sometimes have headaches, especially in the back of my head, but I'm okay. I've dealt with worse."

Toriel nearly asked what she meant, but decided to let it go for the time being. Before she could ask why Ginny had run away, a blur of brown and blue jumped at her, nearly knocking her off of her feet. Luckily, Asgore steadied her before she could fall.

Ginny quickly wrapped her arms around and under Frisk as they gripped onto her like a monkey to its mother. "Hey, squirt," she whispered. "I missed you too... I'm sorry."

With a paw on her back, Toriel lead Ginny into the living room, with Asgore and Alphys following them. Sans, Papyrus, and Undyne were sitting and standing, looking anxious. Ginny flinched upon seeing Papyrus wearing a neck brace, but didn't ask any questions. "I... I should explain myself."

"There's nothing you need to explain," Toriel replied.

"Yes there is!" Ginny insisted, sitting in a large, worn easy chair. Frisk finally loosened their grip to sit on her lap. Toriel sat in a nearby chair, and Asgore stood to the side; Alphys sat on the couch next to Undyne, squealing when she pulled her onto her lap.

"My dear, I understand why you were upset. You were afraid, and felt like I was trying to steal away Frisk."

"Well, yeah. But that's not the whole story. I wasn't just afraid of losing Frisk. I was also jealous that the orphanage was letting you take them. I always thought it was my sole responsibility to take care of Frisk."

"WHY DIDN'T THEY LET YOU ADOPT FRISK?" Papyrus asked. "YOU ARE THEIR SISTER!"

"It's not that simple. Once I was expelled from the orphanage, I had very little money, no job, and no home. They didn't prepare me for the outside world, and left me with practically nothing."

"What about your parents' house?" Undyne asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Undyne, that's i-inappropriate!" Alphys hissed.

"No, it's a valid question," Ginny shook her head. "Thing is, our parents died in a house fire. It was pretty much destroyed by the time help arrived. The money I was left with was the insurance that came from it; not enough to buy and upkeep a car _and_ house. And I have no clue if we have any other family. No one came forward, anyway."

"Speaking of money, we heard about your job and living conditions while looking for you," Toriel spoke up. "Why did you feel the need to lie about it?"

"Because I was ashamed. With me being homeless, it was hard to get a job in the first place. And the only job I could get was taking out trash, something that didn't pay much. The only other way for me to get money was begging on the street. It was humiliating, but I had no other choice. I... I didn't want to sound like someone who couldn't even take care of themselves, let alone attempt to try and care for their sibling."

"those girls i saw with you on the bridge, the day you hit your head. did you ever run into them before?" Sans asked.

"Sometimes. They'd usually find me walking or begging on the streets. They never had anything nice to say to me. They would just laugh at me, or jeer for me to get a job and stop dirtying up the streets. They acted like they were better than me. Well, actually, the redhead... she wasn't usually so bad. I think she just goes along with whatever they do. She wasn't the one who pushed me, anyway. That day... I was in a really low point, and they picked up on it, let's just say."

"How could humans be so cruel to each other?" Toriel sighed. "To injure someone so severely, they could have died?"

"Because humans are cruel. Even... even me." Her voice cracked, and her eyes began to water again. "I... I'm sorry! I'm sorry for lying, and for what I said that day! I'm nothing but a horrible, jealous brat. You-you've all been through so much, and you still have so much on your plate. You didn't deserve anything I threw at you. I just... I just hope, even though I don't deserve it, you can forgive me someday."

"I already had," Toriel said, standing from her chair to kneel by the armchair. She moved Frisk down to the floor. "I don't hold anything against you. I understand you were scared; you've been through so much, it was understandable you would lash out. I didn't appreciate being yelled at, or what you implied, but I understand."

Ginny sniffled and asked, "You do?"

"I do," Toriel nodded. Tears began to bud in her eyes as well. "Sweetheart, it was _never_ my intention to make you feel like an unfit guardian for Frisk, or to try and take them from you. The orphanage only mentioned you were their older sister, never that you were working to adopt them. Had I known, I would have worded what I said differently and more gently. I should have from the beginning; for that, I apologize."

"... Is it true what Asgore said? That you had been looking for me after leaving the underground? And that you wanted to take me in?"

"Yes, it's true. Frisk told us all about their awesome sister," she laughed, "but they didn't know the first place to find you. As soon as they mentioned having a sister, I knew I wanted to adopt that sister as well, if she would have us."

"Do you... do you still want me?" Her eyes were wide, as if it was surprising that she wanted to adopt her before even meeting her.

Toriel cupped Ginny's face in her paws, tears still falling down her cheeks. "Yes, I do. Not just me. The group in this room, we were _all_ looking for you. We're like a close, tight-knit family."

"It's been a long time since I had a big family, more than just Frisk. I... I'd like to have that again."

"You can, and you will. That's what I had been trying to explain after telling you about seeing the orphanage about adopting Frisk. The reason we talked about you, with them only mentioning you as an older sister, was because I was asking if I needed to go through anything to adopt _you_. But they said since you were over eighteen years of age, and thus not the orphanage's responsibility, I was able to take you in any time."

Ginny stared at her in awe. "You... I... So, I was an even _bigger_ jerk, yelling at you after you said you wanted me!"

"Shhh, no more of that. That's been talked about, and you're forgiven." She brushed a tear a thumb. The wetness smeared on her cheek, leaving a clean streak in the dirt on her face. She chuckled, "Since you'll have a proper home now, how's about we start the occasion with cleaning up properly? I'll bet it's been a long time since you've had a proper bath."

"That would be really nice."


	16. Chapter 16

Ginny soon found herself in a warm bath, surrounded by thick bubbles smelling of flowers. Though she could wash herself, it felt good to be scrubbed and rinsed off by someone else. It made her feel pampered, something she hadn't felt in such a long time.

Toriel was presently scrubbing her shoulders, a washcloth in each paw. "Do you want to save any of your old clothes?" she asked. She had already told Ginny about buying her clothes while she was unconscious.

"Hmm... my boots," she answered, looking down at her hands and forearms. She had been dirty for so long, she forgot what color her skin was naturally. Her olive skin tone surprised her, but made her feel nostalgic. Like she finally had a home to sit, clean, eat, and sleep in. "And my coat! I like my coat."

"Boots and coat, it is," Toriel nodded, dunking a large cup in the water and pouring it over Ginny's shoulders.

"Will your friend really be able to save my hair? I don't want it cut, if it can be helped," she said, holding one of the thick tangles.

Outside the bathroom, and probably back at the living room, there was a loud scream; it was followed by Papyrus screaming in delight, "OH MY GOD!" And after a few seconds, there was a knock at the bathroom door.

"Sounds like he's here," Toriel chuckled. "And just in time. Is it all right if he comes in, Ginny? He's here about your hair."

"... I suppose," she shrugged, herding the bubbles closer to her body.

"Come in!"

The door was quickly opened and then closed, as if the visitor was making an attempt at getting in as fast as possible. Ginny's eyes widened. The first things she saw were hot pink boots, white gloves, and sparkles everywhere.

"Toriel, darling," he greeted eloquently, combing his black hair over his eye with a smile. "How nice it is to see you. Ah!" he gasped. "And is this the lovely Ginny I've been hearing _so_ much about?"

"Mettaton?" Ginny exclaimed.

"The one and only, darling," he winked.

"I-I've seen your performances on the TV at my old job! Or in televisions in stores! Y-your movies and singing and all!"

"Well, I'm absolutely delighted that you're a fan!" he smiled, clapping his hands. "But we'll have to hold off on the autographs for the time being. I'm here to see about saving your hair! But first, do you mind if I examine it? I just need to get a feel for it."

"S-sure," she nodded, scooting closer to the edge of the bathtub. Toriel handed her a large, wet washcloth to cover her chest with.

Mettaton sauntered to the tub and took a thick chunk of her hair in one hand. He looked it over closely, poking at it, and attempting to separate it; all the while, humming thoughtfully. "In spite of the tangles, you have _beautiful_ hair! Such a shame it's in such a sorry state." He clicked his tongue several times, lightly shaking his head.

When Toriel explained she would be calling over a friend to help with her hair, she asked if she could explain Ginny's previous living conditions. "I'll tell him not to pry, and I'll be with you the whole time," she promised.

Ginny gave her permission. Her story was already out to the monsters presently in the house. Even if they wouldn't mean it, gossip would spread regardless. So, she figured she might as well not get upset about telling other monsters about it. At the very least, the ones present assured her they wouldn't judgmental about it, like humans would be. They would either sympathize, or not say anything at all; all the while, not asking personal or prodding questions.

"Can it be saved?"

"Why, it'll be a piece of cake!" he bragged, standing tall and proud with his chest puffed out. Where his torso just below his chest was, he instead had what looked like a tank with a pink heart floating inside. "I've dealt with horrifically tangled hair before! It will take some time, though. So, why don't you finish your bath, get in a robe, and we'll see about your hair?"

Ginny nodded. Both Toriel and Mettaton stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind them. "Thank you for coming on such short notice," shesaid.

"Please, it's not a bother at all." He waved it off with a smile.

"If you insist. By the way, how are you feeling? Alphys said you had an accident onset a few days ago?"

"Yes, it was a travesty," he sighed dramatically. "We asked everyone, and reviewed all of the security tapes, but we still cannot figure out how the prop gun was switched with a regular one! In any case, I ordered that security would be increased, and that every prop, regardless of what kind they are, be double-checked, if not triple, before filming. What if it was someone else that got shot? I can't imagine having _that_ on my conscience! It truly was only thanks to my amazing body that I wasn't more seriously injured."

Toriel rolled her eyes and chuckled as Mettaton posed, stretching one foot back, throwing his head back, and spreading his arms out. "But, in the end, no one else was injured, and Alphy was able to get me back in tip-top shape. She can be a worrywart, but she is still such a good person. It makes my soul ache that I was so rude to her before," he sniffed.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. "I'm finished," Ginny called out.

"Dried and dressed, I presume?" Mettaton purred.

"In a robe, yes."

"Very good, darling. This will be one of my greatest challenges yet! But I shall meet it with determination and gusto!" he declared, cracking his knuckles in preparation.

* * *

Back in the living room, the other monsters, as well as Frisk, talked among themselves. Papyrus was still jittering in his seat with excitement. "I CAN'T BELIEVE METTATON IS ACTUALLY HERE!" he exclaimed again, having said that several times by now. "HE ACTUALLY SAID 'HELLO' TO ME! I WONDER IF I'D BE ABLE TO ASK HIM TO SIGN MY BRACE!"

"Chill out, Paps," Undyne chuckled, friendlily punching him in the shoulder. "Mettaton's here on a job."

"Y-yes," Alphys nodded. "He was called here to f-fix Ginny's hair. But I-I'm sure if you asked him b-before he left, he'd gladly sign your brace."

"Speaking of Ginny," Undyne spoke up before Papyrus could squeal again, "let's talk about her, shall we? What do we all think of her? I'll start; I think she's a bit whimpy, and I still don't like how she lied so much. But... I guess I could understand why she did it. Still don't know why humans are so nasty to people down on their luck," she grumbled, crossing her arms.

"I DO NOT HOLD ANYTHING AGAINST HER"! Papyrus declared. "I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND BEING SCARED TO LOSE A SIBLING. WHY, I DON'T KNOW HOW I WOULD COPE IF I FACED THE POSSIBILITY OF LOSING SANS! AND ESPECIALLY AFTER WORKING SO HARD TO TRY AND KEEP THE TWO OF THEM TOGETHER. SHE EXPLAINED HERSELF, AND APOLOGIZED, SO SHE DESERVES A SECOND CHANCE!"

Alphys nodded in agreement. "I can understand k-keeping secrets that you're a-ashamed of. And h-how hard it is telling someone. I w-was given a second chance, even when I th-thought I didn't deserve it. S-so, Ginny deserves one j-just as much."

"I wholeheartedly agree," Asgore nodded, recalling when he was in a similar situation. He turned to Sans. "What do you think, Sans? Of all of us, you're the best judge of character."

Sans shuffled back into his seat, his hands deep in his pockets, and his eyes shut. But he wasn't asleep; he was thinking. Finally, after several minutes of thinking—and sensing that Papyrus was itching to yell out for him to stop sleeping and answer the question—he lazily opened his eyes and said, "i always knew she was hiding things, ever since we first met her. when she lets herself, she wears her soul on her sleeve, for better or for worse. and my opinion of her definitely soured when she blew up at toriel... but like paps, i too can understand what she was going through. and that she didn't want to seem unfit to take in frisk. so... i guess she's not all that bad," he shrugged. "doesn't mean i'll be best friends with her, but she's not an enemy either."

Out in the hall, the bathroom door was opened, and then shut. Then, Toriel padded into the living room, followed by sauntering Mettaton. Papyrus nearly shouted out something, probably wanting his favorite celebrity to sign his brace, but Toriel held a finger to her lips with a wink. He puffed out his cheeks with frustration, but sat down regardless. "H-how did it go?" Alphys asked as she patted Papyrus's shoulder with amused sympathy.

"It was a challenge, indeed. _But_ I managed to not only save her hair, but make it absolutely beautiful!" Mettaton bragged, his eye sparkling with delight.

"When we last left her, she was changing into her new clothes," Toriel added. "I told her she could come out when she's ready."

As if on cue, the bathroom door opened again. "Ah, she has the timing of a star!" Mettaton exclaimed. "Darling, do come out and show off your new _fabulous_ look! No need to be shy!"

"Mettaton, there's no ne-need for the over th-the top theatrics," Alphys gently scolded.

"But why not?" he gasped. "This is a brand new debut for Ginny! She deserves to feel like the beautiful lady she is!"

"Oh, brother," Undyne rolled her eye, though she let out a soft chuckle.

Ginny slowly walked into the living room, looking incredibly shy. But upon everyone's gasps and awes, she smiled.

Her hair, previously tangled in thick chunks and barely reaching past her shoulders, was now straight and sleek, reaching down to her waist. It was now a clean auburn color, and shined in the light. Her skin had been scrubbed clean and moisturized, and was a similar olive color to Frisk, though more tanned. She was now wearing an orange shirt, with a slightly turtlenecked collar, and the sleeves reaching her elbows. Over the shirt were short denim overalls with golden buttons and buckles. On her feet were her combat boots, which now had new blue and light-blue laces, crisscrossed and tied. Around her neck was a necklace made of rope, and with a test tube hanging just above where her soul was; inside the tube was a viscous fluid, and something small and black floating in said fluid.

"YOU LOOK AMAZING!" Papyrus exclaimed, briefly forgetting about Mettaton.

"Ya really clean up nicely!" Undyne grinned.

"I really l-like the overalls," Alphys complimented.

"You look awesome!" Frisk clapped their hands with delight.

"You look beautiful," Asgore smiled.

" _overall_ , you got nice digs," Sans winked.

Everyone laughed as Papyrus shouted at his brother for 'ruining the moment'. "Isn't she just fabulous?" Mettaton grinned, clapping his hands on her shoulders. "My finest work yet!"

"Thank you, Mettaton," she smiled. "Without you, I'd have probably had to cut my hair."

"Oh, perish the thought, darling! I couldn't bare to think of chopping away that beautiful hair!"

"How do you feel?" Toriel asked.

Ginny had already seen herself in the mirror before stepping out, and barely recognized herself. And she realized that her life was now drastically different. No more sleeping beneath the bridge. No more rooting for half-eaten burgers or nearly-finished drinks when her stomach was still painfully growling. No more dirty clothes or tangled hair.

She had clean skin, brushed hair, and new clothes; a warm house, hot food, and a family. Things she never thought she would ever have again.

"I... I feel like a new woman," she said. "Thank you all, for the compliments, and for taking me into the family. I couldn't have ever imagined having that again."

"You won't have to imagine it anymore," Toriel replied as Ginny picked Frisk up in a hug. "Now it's a reality."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! I was admittedly a little nervous going into this, since the characters all have such rich personalities, but I think I did a pretty good job. There are at least a couple of sequel ideas, but I'll probably take a short break before posting the next one. I can't say if the next story I even post will be Undertale for sure, but I WILL get to it someday. Thanks for reading :)

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in the makings for a couple of years. I came up with the plot while listening to Silver Lining by Hurts, thinking of it like a music video. Ginny had been Frisk's older sister from the beginning; her name has meaning behind it, similar to Frisk's name sounding similar to "pacifist", and Chara's looking like a shortened form of "character". Everything Undertale belongs to Toby Fox; Ginny, as well as anything unfamiliar, is of my creation.


End file.
